Kovu's Travels
by hiddengrotto14
Summary: Far from home in a strange land with even stranger cats, Kovu must find his way back to the Pridelands. But threats lurk around every corner. With new friends at his side, the wise words of an old primate in his mind, and the strength in his heart, Kovu will do whatever it takes to get home.
1. Chapter 1

Kovu lay in the shade of an acacia tree, his ears swiveling. His posture was relaxed; shoulders back, tail swishing idly. But his guard was up and he was expecting to be pounced upon any second. Kiara was getting more and more adept at stalking, a little too adept if you asked Kovu. The first time she had successfully pounced him he had been so surprised he had had the wind knocked out of him. Kiara had been sure to gloat about it too. Kovu grumbled at the memory and swung his head to look behind him.

His mistake. Kiara exploded from the grass in front of him, landing only a hair from his face. Kovu commanded his body not to flinch, but his whiskers pulled back instinctively. Kiara responded with a giggle.

"So, oh great hunter, how was that?" She rolled onto her back, lightly pawing his muzzle.

"Well, it certainly was quiet." He admitted, puffing at her affectionately. "But, there was one thing you forgot."

"Huh, what did I forget?" Kiara rolled upright, confusion and surprise clear on her face. "I did everything right, right?"

"Nope," Kovu said matter-of-factly. "You forgot, to always keep your guard up on the hunt."

Another lioness leaped out of the grass, her blue eyes blazing. She snarled at Kiara and quickly advanced. Kiara was up in an instant, meeting the other with a snarl of her own. Kovu quickly backed away, giving the two enough space. Kiara and the other lioness circled each other, tails lashing and teeth flashing. It was the newer lioness who made the first move.

She leaped at Kiara, landing on her and sending them both rolling in the dirt. But Kiara met her blow for blow with sheathed paws. Their hits weren't serious, but they weren't cub swats either. The two lionesses finally broke apart, panting and disheveled. Kiara's snarl had turned into a smirk and her eyes shone with triumph.

"You thought you could get me, Vitani? Think again!" Kiara danced from paw to paw, ready for another scuffle. Vitani growled, but then her face too gained a smirk.

"I did think that. Too bad my brother here has been teaching you too well." Vitani said as she made a move at Kovu, and snickered when he jumped away. Kovu snorted at his sister, but couldn't help smiling at her jibe. Kiara was coming along nicely, and he took pride in the fact it was his doing paired with Kiara's natural talent. Except whenever she used that talent on him. And then teased him about it. That part wasn't very enjoyable.

"Too bad indeed. But that means another fine huntress for the pride." Kovu stretched and flexed his claws. The addition of all the outsiders had caused a need for more food. Some of the lionesses had decided to leave, joining a neighboring pride a ways off, simply knowing that too many mouths to feed meant too much prey in the area killed. The outsiders who did stay, like Vitani, were being taught how to hunt by Nala and the other Pridelander females.

After the many hearty meals, the previously scrawny lionesses were filling out nicely. Kovu noticed Vitani's waist wasn't so sharp and angulated anymore, as growing up living on mice and termites wasn't doing any cub a favor. But Kovu thought she'd probably always be lanky and lithe. The sound of flapping wings made them all look up.

"Ah, there you all are!" Zazu called down to them as he circled above. He came down to land in front of them and bowed. "Good day to you Princess, Prince, and...uh… Prince's sister." The hornbill finished awkwardly. Kiara politely inclined her head to the advisor, and then prodded Kovu to do the same. Kovu gave a stiff bow, a bit taken aback by the title "Prince".

"Why were you looking for us, Zazu?" Kiara asked while looking at the position of the sun. "It isn't time for hunting today, is it?".

"Well, more specifically I was looking for him." He pointed a wing at Kovu.

"Me?" Kovu startled.

"Yes, you. Simba requested you to come see him now."

Kovu shared a glance at Kiara and Vitani. Kiara only showed a hint of confusion, while Vitani had simply flicked her tail over her paws and was regarding him with an uninterested look (although her forward facing ears showed she was as curious as he was).

"Well?" Zazu fluttered his wings impatiently at Kovu's pause.

"Oh, yes. I'm coming." Kovu shook off his daze and started towards the direction of Pride Rock. Zazu gave a satisfied, 'Hmmm' and took to the air. _What could Simba want with me…?_ Kovu paced after Zazu, or more accurately Zazu's shadow, and ran the possibilities through his mind. _I_ _obviously hadn't done anything wrong…_ He hadn't done anything _he_ remembered, at least. Maybe he wasn't showing enough respect towards the other animals. _I did get a little snappy with that water buffalo at the watering hole the other day… But that wasn't_ my _fault, she got mud all over my mane! Splashing around with those clumsy hooves!_

"Hey," Vitani came up to his side, bringing him from his thoughts. "If I'm the _Prince's_ sister...does that make me a _Princess_?" She looked over Kovu's shoulder at Kiara, who had bounded after them.

"Maybe!" Kiara smiled at her. "I might have to ask my mother about that, or maybe Rafiki or even Zazu." Kiara looked up at the hornbill who was gliding on the air currents above them. Kovu guessed he could hear them, but his lack of response either meant he didn't know either or he didn't care enough to answer.

"Princess Vitani…" She chuckled, trying on the title.

"Great, now you can come with us to help settle any problems happening in the Pridelands."

"Really? Does any of it involve beating down rambunctious crocs? Showing rebellious buffalo who's boss?" Vitani said hopefully, her eyes bright. "I'm pretty good at both, by the way."

"Uh, no… It's mainly listening to zebras whining about how some impala accidentally stepped on some flowers they wanted to eat." Kiara laughed. Vitani gave an exaggerated sigh and rolled her eyes. Kovu smiled at them both, their banter lightening his mood a bit. _Maybe whatever Simba wanted couldn't be too bad._ After all, his life was finally changing for the better. He was happy, and most importantly, in love. He turned to Kiara and grinned at her. She looked up at him, gazing softly into his eyes. Kovu was so enthralled by her orange eyes he didn't see the flash of mischief in them. Before he could do anything, Kiara hip-checked him hard enough to make him stumble and fall over face first. He looked up, spitting dirt out of his mouth. Kiara was galloping away, laughing triumphantly.

"Oh you think that's funny?" He growled playfully, and launched after her. He heard Vitani laugh too and heard her galloping behind him. Whatever Simba had to say to him, Kovu wasn't worried about it anymore. He could deal with anything, as long as Kiara was by his side.

* * *

 **Aye, how's it hanging?! Hiddengrotto14 here to give you a little info on the story. "Kovu's Travels" has been a story I've thought of for quite a few years. I think I first thought of it when I was 10. Actually, the main character of it was originally Simba! But I thought Kovu deserved the spotlight later on. As it usually goes, trying to write a decent story as a 10 year old doesn't go as planned (omg, all my stories from my younger days are usually cringy, ACK D: ). Some of you (by some I mean like...3...) may recall my story "The Liger King" (written I was 13/14 I think). It was a total flop by chapter 3, was pretty bad, confusing, deleted, and will never be mentioned again. Pls. ._. ... Now that I'm 16, I've improved and know when stuff doesn't make sense or when the story is all over the place with no plot. So, now that I've given a little information on the origin of this story, enjoy the chapters to come. I will take periodic breaks to refresh my knowledge on the canon, recheck animal facts (as this will be more of a serious thing when it comes to hunting and fighting; think more like Warriot Cats or Ratha's Creature instead of The Lion Guard when it comes to stuff like that (hence the T rating)), and just generally find time to write, plan character development, and try to work on writing skills like descriptions, building suspense, setting the mood, etc. etc. So if you like what you see, keep yourself updated. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

Kovu and Vitani raced after Kiara, their laughter coming in between pants for air. Zazu chuckled at the young lions that were racing through the savanna below him. He couldn't help but be reminded of the times he soared above Simba and Nala on their playdates when they were cubs.

"Last one to Pride Rock is a rotten ostrich egg!" Kiara yelled as she put on a burst of speed. Just to be sure _he_ wouldn't be considered a rotten egg, Zazu nonchalantly flapped his wings to get there first. "I see you up there Zazu!" She called. Zazu pulled off an extravagant loop in the sky before he landed on the peak of Pride Rock.

Kiara, Kovu, and Vitani all scrambled up the slope to the entrance of the Royal Den, sending down a cascade of pebbles in their wake. Kovu bunched up his muscles and sprang ahead of Kiara.

"Who's a rotten egg now?" He teased, unaware of the lion coming out of the Royal Den ahead of him. Kovu crashed into Simba, sending them both collapsing to the ground in a heap. Kovu picked himself up from off the King quickly and began to stammer an apology.

"Simba! I-I'm sorry, I didn't see you! I-I wa-!" Kovu began, but was cut off by a laughing Simba.

"I know most lions are happy to see me but Kovu, please contain your excitement a little better." Simba got up and shook himself. Kovu gave a shaky hybrid of a laugh and a sigh as Kiara and Vitani came up beside him. "I assume Kiara's stalking practice went well."

"One of the best huntresses in the Pridelands." Vitani cut in, seeing her brother was still a bit too dazed to answer.

"I'm happy to hear that." He nuzzled the top of her head, making Kiara give an embarrassed 'Dad…!'.

"You, uh… Wanted to talk to me…?" Kovu said, trying not to pant as loudly as he needed to. _Maybe running all the way here wasn't the smartest of ideas…_

"Yes, I wanted to speak with you about something. Follow me." Simba dismissed Zazu with a gracious nod, and the majordomo flew off into the sky. Then Simba walked up the path leading to the summit of Pride Rock, flicking his tail to motion Kovu to come along. Kovu glanced back at Kiara, who gave a reassuring nod, and followed Simba up the path. The path wasn't very wide, and the two lions had to walk single-file. Kovu trotted behind Simba, glancing down every now and then at the growing distance between the path and the ground. He stopped, staring at the ground. The drop sure was dizzying, but he also got another odd feeling...

"Kovu?" Simba looked back over his shoulder.

"Oh, sorry… I just…." He glanced down at the ground again. "Nevermind, I'm coming." Simba led him around a bend and then up a steeper incline, and finally up onto the shelf of the summit itself. The King stood at the ledge of the summit, overlooking the Pridelands. He motioned Kovu to join him and they both looked out over the territory together.

Kovu scanned the area, his gaze passing over the watering hole and then it was drawn to the river that winded through the Pridelands. And again… This odd feeling overcame Kovu… _Why does it feel like… I've been here before…?_ He had never been up here in the 3 months since the wedding ceremony. And he couldn't imagine when he would've gotten the chance to come up here before that. Unless-

"Kovu, I've asked you to come here because I'm sending you on an embassage." Simba sat down, letting the wind billow his mane, framing his face majestically.

"An embassage…? Like, a mission or something?" Kovu asked. Well that seemed more complex than anything he could've thought Simba would want from him.

"Yes, exactly. The lionesses that joined my pride and then left are apparently causing some….tension in their new pride." Simba turned to Kovu. "And I would like _you_ to go and try to make peace between them."

"But, why me? You've never asked anything like this from me before."

"Well, you have to start somewhere eventually, don't you?" Simba chuckled, and then sighed when Kovu's worried face didn't change. "Listen Kovu, you're going to be King of the Pridelands one day when I'm gone… And Kiara can't do everything by herself, even though she's the family successor. She's been learning about how to be Queen all her life-."

"Which is why it would make more sense to send her, right?" Kovu was not liking where this conversation was headed.

"On the one paw, yes. But on the other, those lionesses know _you_ , Kovu. They might not listen to Kiara, because they don't know her that well. But they do know you, and they will be much more likely to hear your suggestions. And besides, while you're gone she'll be patrolling with her mother and I to learn more about being a queen and a huntress."

"But Simba-." Kovu started.

"Kovu." Simba said sternly. Kovu closed his mouth. The King's face was serious now, and he was done arguing. Kovu sighed and sat down beside the King.

"Yes, Simba… I understand. I know I must do what my responsibilities are."

"Good, your going to shape up to be a great leader one day. I know it Kovu." Simba nodded and turned his attention back to the view of the Pridelands. "The pride the lionesses joined is located in a place called Grass Walls. It's East of here, but to make sure you don't get lost, I'm sending Rafiki with you. Zazu is the one that led them there, so he deserves a break in my opinion." Kovu nodded at Simba's words. "That's all I wanted to tell you. Try to make peace, but if you can't, bring the lionesses back to the Pridelands. We'll figure something out if that happens."

Kovu gave a respectful, "Yes, Simba.", as the King turned to go down the path from the summit. Kovu sighed and rested his head in his paws. He spent the rest of the day at the top of Pride Rock, mulling over how he was going to handle the situation.

* * *

" _Stop it Vitani…!" Kovu grumbled as he felt a claw prod him in his side. He felt Zira's chest rise and fall as she curled around him and Vitani, although Nuka wasn't flopped over them like he usually was so Kovu guessed he was already awake and out of the den. He felt a claw poke him again. "I said_ stop _, Vitani!", he growled. He got up to change position, but noticed the lion looming over him._

 _He was too scared to say anything as Scar's green eyes bore down on him, so he just crouched there, trembling. He noticed another shape appear behind Scar, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness he realized it was Nuka._

" _Follow me." Scar said and turned around to exit the den. Kovu got up, stepping on his mother's snout on purpose to see if she'd wake up, and possibly save him from whatever Scar wanted. But all she gave was a sleepy growl._

" _Can I come too?" Nuka eagerly bounced alongside Scar._

" _Hmmm…" Scar considered him for a moment, looking him up and down. "No."_

" _Bu- wha-?" Nuka's smile faltered. "Why not?"_

" _Because I said so." Scar spat. He began to walk out of the den and Kovu scurried after._

" _That's not fair! I'm the oldest, I'm the stron-!"_

" _If you utter_ another word _I will feed you to the hyenas." Scar growled. Nuka shrank down to the ground, cowering. He cast Kovu a dark glare before slinking behind Zira's still sleeping form. Kovu frowned, he'd never seen a look like that on Nuka's face before. And he wouldn't have guessed the first time he would see it, that it would be directed at_ him _._

" _Oh, but it wouldn't matter if Nuka came would it? I mean-" Kovu lost his voice under Scar's withering scowl. Kovu kept his mouth shut as he followed Scar up the path. He glanced down at the growing distance between the path and the ground and froze. The wind suddenly seemed like it was trying to tear him off the path, and the ground was spinning dizzily. He hunkered down, hugging the cliffside, absolutely terrified._

" _Oh for the Savanna's sake…!" Scar growled. He grabbed Kovu by the scruff, without much gentleness, and carried him the rest of the way to the summit of Pride Rock. He plopped the cub down and glowered at the horizon. Kovu careful edged his way next to Scar, and gained the courage to stand up._

" _Woah…" Kovu breathed in awe. The rising sun reflected off the watering hole and the river, although Kovu noticed they looked smaller than they probably should have been. A large amount of the bank looked muddy from the view up here._

" _One day all of this will be yours." Scar looked out on his domain, scanning the area. Kovu guessed that they should have at least seen a few herds of zebra or antelope, but there weren't any prey animals in sight. Scar must've noticed the same thing, and gave a thoughtful 'Hmmm…'._

" _What, really?!" Kovu brightened up, but then a question came to him. "But why?"_

" _Because one day you will be a king." Scar said simply, as if being a king one day wasn't that big of an event._

" _Why…?"_

" _Because I choose you as my heir."_

 _Why….?" Kovu asked again, although he regretted it when he heard a growl forming in Scar's throat. "I-I-I mean… I'm not your son, at least that's what Nuka said. He said Mom gave birth to me and Vitani once they got here... And…"_

" _It doesn't matter if you're my son or not, I chose you as my heir and that's that." Scar snapped. "Ugh, you remind me of my blasted nephew."_

I guess he's not a morning lion… _Kovu thought. Maybe he just needed to get back on Scar's good side. "So what is it like to be king?" He asked._

" _Ah… Absolutely wonderful." Scar got up and began pacing around the rocky butte. "Absolute power. The power_ I _always deserved. Much better than some stupid roar." The older lion, ran his claws along the ground, producing a screeching sound that rattled Kovu's nerves. "I never needed it or...those fools anyway."_

" _But what about friends?" Kovu asked, although he regretted it the moment he said it._

" _Friends? I have no time for friends, I am king after all."_

" _B-but what about the hyenas…?" Kovu questioned, cocking his head._

" _Ha! My dear boy, no self-respecting lion would truly see a hyena as a friend. Such moronic, filthy creatures." Scar chuckled. "Lions over all, especially hyenas."_

" _Oh, is that so?" A voice behind them snarled. Kovu whipped around to see a small, female hyena growling at them. He hadn't even heard her come up behind them. "Filthy and moronic? Ooohh, I knew it was a bad idea to listen to stupid cats! Wait till Shenzi hears this…" The hyena turned to scamper away, cackling to herself._

 _But Scar was faster. In a heartbeat, he was on top of her and had her neck in his jaws. She yelped, but that was the last sound she'd ever make. Scar bit down, crushing her neck. Kovu shivered as the sound of crunching bone echoed in his ears. Scar dropped the limp body, the hyena's face still contorted with terror. Scar spat the hyena's fur from out of his mouth and growled. He pushed the body to the side of the summit, and threw it off into the shadow of Pride Rock, so it would be out of sight until the death smell started wafting off the body. Kovu was glad there weren't too many rocks down there, he wouldn't have been able to handle hearing the_ THWACK! _of a body breaking when it hit the ground._

" _Tell your mother to dispose of that body at once, and tell her to make sure she's not seen."_

" _Yes, Scar." Kovu turned to leave, his fear of Scar overpowering his fear of falling off the path._

" _Oh, and Kovu," Scar called to him._

" _Yes, Scar?"_

" _Mention that hyena to_ anyone _besides your mother, and you won't be receiving any more special and merciful treatment. Understand?" Scar's face was turned back to the horizon, but Kovu could tell his face was seething with anger._

" _Yes, Scar…" Kovu scampered away._

* * *

Kovu's head shot up. He looked around and took a deep breath. He was in the back of the Royal Den, surrounded by other lions. He felt Kiara's body pressed against his back and her light snoring calmed him. But he couldn't go back to sleep just yet. Scar's eyes were fresh in his mind. Kovu stood up and gingerly swept his paw over his own scar. He made his way through the sleeping felids, making sure not to step on stray tails or kick anyone in the face. He gave a small leap over the sleeping form of who he guessed to be Nala, and came out into the crisp air of the night.

Kovu padded up to the peak of Pride Rock, laying down on the cool stone. He looked up at the stars as his ears swiveled as the creatures of the night went about their business. A jackal pair to the east howled at each other to stay in touch in the darkness. And a family of porcupines were murmuring among themselves not too far away. But another voice, this one closer, made him prop himself up. It sounded like what ever it was, was coming up the slope of Pride Rock right now…

"Who's there?" Kovu growled, his claws ready to tear into an enemy. The voice stopped, and Kovu heard a rattle that sounded like a bunch of sand inside a hollowed out object of some sort.

"Oh, it's you Kovu." An old mandrill said climbing the last few steps of the slope. "No need to get too defensive. It's just ole Rafiki." The mandrill shook his staff, making the rattling sound again. Kovu sheathed his claws and sighed. He turned back to looking at the stars.

"Why are you here at this time of night?" Kovu asked, not taking his eyes off the sky.

"Well," Rafiki chuckled, sitting down in the lotus position. "To be honest, I couldn't sleep either. Seeing my family again is something I really look forward to." Rafiki followed Kovu's gaze up to the sky. "Ah, look. _Mkali_ is as bright as ever tonight."

"Who?" Kovu turned to Rafiki. "Do you mean-?"

"Yes! The star right there." Rafiki guided the young lion's head to a bright star glimmering in the sky.

"You...named a star…?" Kovu asked. _I guess he_ has _finally lost his mind._

"Don't think I'm crazy!" Rafiki jumped up. " _You_ are the one expecting stars to name themselves, are you not?" Rafiki inquired. When he didn't answer, Rafiki let out a laugh. " _Mkali_ has led me home time after time. I use it to get back to the Pridelands on my journeys abroad." The mandrill said, quieting himself after remembering the sleeping lions in the den behind him.

"Hmmm…" Kovu grunted. He laid his head on his paws and stared down his nose at the ground below him.

"'Hmmm…' yourself, lion. Hey, why are _you_ up at this time of night?"

"A stomach ache," Kovu lied. "The zebra the lionesses caught today must've been sick or something." _And it's not like my adoptive-father has finally begun to haunt me or anything._

"Oh, I understand. Do you know what they say is good for stomach aches?"

"What?" Kovu asked.

"Beetles. Would you like one?" Rafiki tugged one out of his scruffy white mane. When Kovu didn't respond to his joke, he shrugged and popped the crunchy insect into his mouth. "You don't fool me lion, I hope you know that. I can see inside, and I know what troubles you lies in the heart, not the stomach. But I will not push you any farther." Rafiki walked over to the Royal Den, leaned back beside the entrance and closed his eyes.

Kovu sighed. Remembering Simba's words about how far Grass Walls was he guessed he'd probably need his strength. So Kovu got up and returned to his spot next to Kiara. It wasn't long before he was back to sleep, snoring lightly. No more bad dreams came to him that night.

* * *

 **Aaaaayyyyeeeee, chapter number zwei... KOMPLETT! *imagine celebratory trumpet sounds or something* This is a first for me because I'm really, really, really... _really ; - ;_...terrible at following things through. But I'll be darn if I give up on this! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

"I shouldn't be gone long. It's just a few days." Kovu reassured Kiara as they sat at the peak of Pride Rock nuzzling each other. Although, he had to admit, he was trying to reassure himself as much as he was Kiara. Kovu's ears flicked back as he heard pawsteps coming towards them.

"I think you'll survive a few days apart." He heard Nala say. The older lioness came up beside them and gave Kiara a lick between the ears. She gave Kovu a familial nod and smiled at him. Kovu smiled back. One of the things he liked about the Pridelanders was how they weren't afraid to show affection. His mother had always been ruthless and generally hard to please, even when Kovu was her favorite.

The open acceptance he got from the Pridelanders filled a void he didn't even know he had. He looked over his shoulder as Vitani's laughter came from a group of lionesses heading out for the morning patrol. She caught his eye and gave a toothy smirk, in her playfully sinister way, before loping off with the other females. Simba and Rafiki exited the Royal Den after them. Simba and Nala rubbed their foreheads together, purring a morning greeting to each other. The royal couple came to sit besides the two younger lions.

"Kovu," Simba began. "I think you'll do just fine." Kovu nodded at the king's words. Rafiki tapped Kovu on the shoulder with his staff, looking at him pointedly. Kovu sighed, knowing that meant they were supposed to leave.

"Well, I'll be back soon, Kiara." Kovu got up.

"What?! You're leaving _now_?" Kiara looked at him with pleading eyes. "Can't you stay a little longer?"

"No, I've got to go now." Although Kovu really meant, 'Yes, I'd rather not go at all!'. But he wasn't going to stop the momentum to leave while he still had it. "I'll see you when I get back, okay?"

Kiara sighed, "I'll be waiting for you.", before giving him another nuzzle under the chin. Kovu nuzzled her back, locking the warm feeling in his mind. A little something to remember until he got back. He stood up and took a deep breath. He looked at Simba and Nala, who both gave him a nod. He looked into Kiara's lovely orange eyes again, wishing he could stand there staring into them forever. But instead, he took a deep breath and turned around.

Rafiki patted him reassuringly on the back as they walked down Pride Rock. Kovu glanced back at the outcropping, but Kiara had already retreated out of sight. Kovu sighed, but continued on the trek towards Grass Walls.

* * *

Kovu and Rafiki had been walking all day, the sun had already set and the stars were dancing in the sky. The Pridelands must've been far behind them now. His paws ached something fierce, and since there had been a slight, but persistent rain almost all day, his coat was annoyingly damp. Kovu grumbled unhappily as Rafiki stopped in front of him.

"We can rest here for the night." The mandrill said. Kovu sank down to the ground, glad he had been granted this moment of rest. "You can go hunt if you need to."

Kovu only made a grunt, signifying he was too tired to do much of anything. He closed his eyes, giving a deep sigh, happy to drift off to sleep.

"Lion," Rafiki said. Kovu lazily inclined his head towards him, too exhausted to even open his eyes. "Get up for a second!" Rafiki lifted his head up by the ear and poked him in the eye.

"Ow! I thought we were getting rest?" Kovu stood up, and crankily tore his ear out of Rafiki's grip.

"We are, but first, tell me which star is _Mkali_."

"What?" Kovu said, although he had heard Rafiki clearly. He snorted irritably and looked at the sky. All the stars looked basically the same, how was he supposed to know which was which? Although that one seemed to be _slightly_ brighter than the rest…. "That one." He motioned halfheartedly at the star.

"Yes!" Rafiki praised him, clapping his hands together.

"Really?" Kovu was pretty surprised. He hadn't expected to be right at all. "You said that star would lead us home?"

"Yes, _Mkali_ has never lead me astray. And it should get you home as well. I've decided to stay in Grass Walls for a bit".

Kovu felt slightly reassured by that. If he followed this star, as Rafiki had said, he could always find his way back to Kiara. He was suddenly reminded of the time he sat under the stars with her, sitting close and together. Although the warming memory faded just as quickly when Kovu remembered he was star gazing with an old baboon, instead of a beautiful lioness. "Well, good night Rafiki."

"Good night, to you, Kovu." Rafiki said before clambering up a nearby tree. Kovu looked up at _Mkali_ one last time, before resting his head on his paws and sliding into sleep.

* * *

"Aha!" Rafiki exclaimed. "We have arrived." The baboon and the lion stood on a hill overlooking the lush valley. Kovu scanned the area below him, looking for signs of lions. There were none that he could see from up here, just a small troop of elephants on their daily business.

"Would you look at that…" Rafiki breathed. "Even the elephants have returned to Grass Walls."

"Did something happen here?" Kovu asked. Grass Walls was a beautiful place, full of trees and, well, grass. Birds flew from tree top to tree top, insects trilled their morning songs, and he heard the bleating of an impala herd carried by the wind. He couldn't imagine this place looking any less green and alive.

"Oh, yes… Something terrible…" Rafiki said with much sadness. Kovu followed him as he began to walk down into the valley, sobered by his tone. "An awful drought. The Great Pond was all dried up. Everything was dead and everyone was gone. Well, except my family."

"Why did they stay?" Kovu asked.

"Well, they were going to leave. But you see, my cousin, Jelani, had taken over after the troop's old leader had been struck down by a leopard."

"That's...unfortunate…"

"Yes, Jelani wanted the title, but not the responsibility. He was too lazy to do anything but sit on his rump, the fool…" Rafiki sighed. "But me and Simba came and took over. We took my troop to a different place, much safer and full of food."

"And Jelani?" Kovu asked, looking up as a pair of red and black monkeys quarreled over a piece of fruit in the tree above him.

"Oh, he realized what his duties were and stepped up to the challenge of being a leader." Rafiki reached down and tore a handful of grass out of the ground. He smiled as the wind blew it out of his grasp, letting the blades dance in the breeze.

"Um, excuse me?" A voice said. Kovu looked up again. One of the monkeys had spoken, using her foot to shove the smaller monkey away. "Did you say Jelani?"

"Yes, you know of him?" Rafiki asked, extending his staff up to the branch the smaller primate was on. The larger monkey perched herself on it with the fruit still in her hands, ignoring the squeaks of rage the smaller male gave at being ignored.

"Of course, he's the one who brought all the other animals back here!" The monkey bounced excitedly. "After the land was replenished, he tracked down all the previous animals that lived here and led us back. He's kind of a legend."

" _My_ Jelani?"

"Come on, you're looking for him, ain't ya? I can lead you to him."

"Thank you." Rafiki started, but turned back to Kovu. "But first, do you know where we could find the pride of lions that live here?"

"Oh, them… Sorry, but I'm not too sure. I've never been a big fan of anything with big claws and teeth." She eyed Kovu suspiciously, as if he might suddenly decided to eat her. "Nothing personal, but I keep my distance." She hopped back in the tree, shoving the fruit in the other monkey's mouth to shut him up.

Kovu lashed his tail irritably, not too sure if this monkey was trustworthy anymore.

"Hey, I said nothing personal. No need to glare at me." She pointed her bony finger at Kovu.

"I'm not glaring at you, this is my face." Kovu growled.

"Uh huh, well I'm sure you and your meany face will be just fine looking for them. It shouldn't be that hard."

"Yeah, sure. You go ahead, Rafiki." Kovu said, trotting off to go deeper into the valley.

"Good luck, Kovu. And remember, _Mkali_ will lead you back home." Rafiki called after him. The baboon ambled off after the two monkeys that were swinging in the treetops. Kovu watched him go, before walking off to look for the Grass Walls pride.

( _time gap space thingy_ )

Kovu had been walking for quite some time, trying to look for a sign of any lions in the area. There were scent markings and claw marks on trees, but they were stale and old. He had even roared a few times in the hopes it would attract the attention of them, but no lions had shown up to investigate. He growled in annoyance, and his stomach growled in reply.

He hadn't eaten since the night before leaving for Grass Walls, and the travelling and searching had sapped him of strength. If the lions that supposedly lived here weren't nearby, then they wouldn't mind if he caught himself a small meal, would they? He shrugged to himself and scented the wind. Picking up the smell of something nearby, he crouched down and stalked in the direction the smell was coming from.

A duiker, a small kind of antelope, stood atop a rotting log. It stamped its hoof, scraping away bark to lick up the termites that were busy scurrying to get away. It was oddly oblivious to its surroundings, unlike most prey animals Kovu had seen. It acted like it hadn't encountered any predators in a while, although Kovu could believe that from the lack of lion activity he had encountered.

He bunched his muscles, ready to leap onto the duiker. Somewhere off to the left a twig snapped. The duiker's head shot up. Kovu pounced, claws extended. And then he got a hard blow to the side that sent him rolling in the dirt. He heard the duiker bleat in alarm and heard its hooves speed away. Kovu stayed there on his side for a few moments, winded and stunned.

He came to his senses and scrambled to his feet, coming face to face with a snarling lioness. He took a step back, only to have his tail snapped at by another snarling female. Others began melting down from the trees, rage plastered on their faces. They were closing off every route of escape. And Kovu could guess from the looks they were shooting at him, they were about to rip him to shreds.


	4. Chapter 4

"State your name, your business, and a good reason for us not to tear you apart _right now,_ you good-for-nothing rogue." The lioness in front of him hissed, her reddish-brown fur bristling. Kovu took a deep breath, slowing his racing heart. These lionesses had just...appeared. He hadn't heard, seen, or smelled them at all before they confronted him. He wasn't even sure when they could've begun to follow him. But he wasn't going to let them know that. Kovu puffed out his chest and held his head high, as Simba often did.

"My name is Kovu, and I am no rogue. I am Prince of the Pridelands and I've been sent to-." Kovu began.

"Liar!" Two of the lionesses to the side spat in unison. _This was not the welcoming party I was expecting…_ , Kovu thought.

"We know the Prince of the Pridelands, and you are not him." The paler of the two said.

"I am the mate of Princess Kiara." Kovu said, showing the slightest sign of impatience. Simba didn't tell him anything about the Grass Walls lions being so hostile. It would've been a good heads-up in Kovu's opinion. 'By the by, the lionesses in this pride might threaten to slit your throat on sight'. The two lionesses' faces changed from hostile to confused, and then one of them lit up with realization.

"Kovu… _Kovu…?_ Kovu! I remember you!" The darker furred one said this time. "Kiara talked about him once, remember Tiifu?!"

"What…?" It was Kovu's turn to be confused. "She talked about me?"

"Once?" Tiifu said. "Really!? Kiara talked about him nonstop for at least a couple of days. It'd be kind of hard to forget." Kovu was surprised at this. _I didn't think she'd talk about me after we'd met... Although almost getting eaten by crocodiles together probably would have been a lot to talk about_.

"What did she say about me?"

"Oh, that she met some strange cub on the border of the Outlands and he was interesting and handsome. Her words, not mine by the way." The lioness turned to the one named Tiifu. "You remember don't you?"

"Yeah, I think I do. Aw, that's so sweet you two got together!"

"Hey!" The lioness in front of Kovu snapped. "Stop talking to the rogue!"

"I'm not a rogue." Kovu took a step forward. "I _am_ Prince Kovu, mate of Princess Kiara. I've come here because the lionesses who joined this pride seemed to be causing some problems. If _you_ have a problem, maybe I'll just go back to the Pridelands and bring the king himself back with me."

The lead lioness growled and took her own step forward. Kovu quelled the growl forming in his throat. If he tested this lioness any further, he knew he might have a fight on his paws, not a very good way to start an embassage. But she had pounced on him first, not a very peaceful greeting in the first place. He flexed his claws.

"Wait, he wouldn't know this stuff unless he was telling the truth!" Tiifu stepped in between them. "Come on, Chunguzi. He even kinda smells like Kiara, Zuri and I would know."

"I do?" Kovu asked, he had never noticed that. The lead lioness, Chunguzi, quieted her growl to a soft hiss. She glared at Kovu before snorting.

"Hmmm. Well, I guess you do kinda resemble the other Outlanders… You have that same insufferable look on your face. Let's go then." Chunguzi turned her back on Kovu and stalked off. The other lionesses, seven of them Kovu counted, formed a circle around him and herded him in the same direction.

"I'm Zuri by the way." The darker lioness said. "You _have_ to tell me and Tiifu all about Kiara and you! Like, are you two going to rule the Pridelands equally, or is she going to be the main ruler because she was born into it? Or will you be the one going on missions while she keeps watch over the Pridelands? Hey, have you two thought about having cubs yet? Eek, I could be Auntie Zuri! How about-?" Kovu tuned out Zuri's talking as they guided him deeper into their territory.

It wasn't the entrance he had been expecting, but at least he had finally gotten to Grass Walls and found the pride. Now all he needed to do was find a way to make peace between them and the previous Outsiders. He gave a mental sigh and glared at Chunguzi's back, _I hope they all aren't like_ her…

* * *

The lionesses guided him over the crest of a hill, looking down on a slope. The area below had a small watering hole, with a scatter of trees surrounding it. Kovu saw two lionesses stretched out in the shade of a tree, but he didn't recognize them at all, so they must've been Grass Walls lions. As they began to descend the slope Kovu noticed another group of five lionesses huddled together that seemed to be bristling with hostility. He could tell from their skinny frames they were definitely the Outsiders.

One of them lifted their head up as he came down and he saw the recognition come across her face and her eyes brighten. She hurriedly whispered something to the others and they all began to look Kovu's way. They all watched him as he was guided into the Grass Walls pride's watering hole, murmuring to themselves. Kovu looked around for a male lion, but he couldn't find him. Maybe Chunguzi was the leader of this pride.

"Welcome," A rumbling male voice said. Kovu looked around again, but he still saw no male. "I'm up here." The owner of the voice said. Kovu looked up into the tree next to him. A male lion lay perched on a branch, looking down at them all. His fur was a rich tan, his mane was the color of moist dirt, and his eyes were a dark green. "You must be the one of the Pridelanders."

"Yes. I am Prince Kovu."

"Excuse me, where are my manners?" The brown male flowed down the tree trunk to the ground like water. Kovu had never seen a lion so adept in the trees, his skills were on par with a leopard. "Now that we're both on even ground," He took a second to chuckle at the terrible joke, "let me introduce myself. I am Maji, it is a pleasure to meet you Prince Kovu." Maji looked over as the previous Outsiders stalked closer to hear what was going on.

"Are you here to take us back?" One of the dull-coated Outsider lionesses said. Kovu recognized her as Kua, the dots under her left eye making her stand out. Kovu eyed Maji as he looked at her. He didn't seem angry at the lioness, just a bit disappointed. "We know we're not wanted here, Maji. If you want us to leave we can just go. No need to make a scene of it."

"No, Simba and I want you to stay here, Kua." Kovu swept his gaze over the other four. The last thing the Serengeti needed was a group of vengeful Outsiders.

"I actually would like you to stay, too." Maji said. "Kovu, let's talk up on that hill." The two lions walked up the hill that overlooked the pride's camp and sat down.

"What's causing the problems?" Kovu asked, getting straight to the point.

"Well, it seems the new lionesses just don't want to help out. They don't patrol, they don't help with hunting either. Chunguzi even thinks that they mess up the hunts just to annoy her." Maji shook his head and sighed. _Maybe that's why I didn't see any signs of lions when I got here. The Outsiders must've been sent to patrol that area, and never did._ Kovu flicked his tail up and down, looking down at the group of Outsiders as they moved back to the opposite side of the pond, away from the Grass Walls natives.

"Back in the Pridelands, the Queen is teaching all these things to the new lionesses. We came from the Outlands, you know, and there's not much to patrol there…" Kovu confessed. "We were the only lions there, and the only competition really was a small group of hyenas, and even they left eventually. The lionesses did plenty of fighting and sparring, but not much hunting except for catching things like mice and any animal that was dumb enough to wander over the Pridelands border."

"I see…" Maji said. "So, they don't know how to hunt?" This seemed to really throw him off.

"No, not really. At least not things like buffalo or zebra."

"I never thought that they didn't know… So why didn't they say anything about it? We would've helped them learn, it wouldn't have been too difficult."

"Well," Kovu began. "They are kind of proud, most of them won't ask for help even if they need it. My mother was their leader, and she made all the big decisions. Whatever she said, they did, and they didn't do much else if she didn't tell them to do it. Maybe you need to teach and tell them, instead of just thinking they already know it or that they'll get the hang of it eventually." Kovu watched as Maji slowly nodded to himself. They both looked down at the Outsiders this time, Maji giving a sigh. But then something made him turn back to Kovu.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you not as...skinny, I guess, as the other Outsiders?"

"My mother made sure I spent all day training." Kovu's thoughts went back to the days of shoving large rocks through the canyons of the Outlands. Zira would set a number of rocks at one end of the canyon and force him to push them to the other end, one by one. Other times she would send him into a match with three of her lionesses, although Kovu was glad they had always gone easy on him when Zira wasn't watching closely. "And on special missions, too." Kovu said a bit sheepishly. "Steal a zebra from the Prideland territory, or try and get a buffalo calf and bring it back home without getting caught."

"That sounds pretty tough."

"It was…" Kovu said. He remembered the flash of Zira's claws coming towards his face, too fast for him to react. He suddenly became conscious of his scar, and shook his head so his bang covered his eye. "But it's over, no need to think about it now. Anyway, what do you want to do about them? King Simba said I would lead them back if we couldn't find a solution."

"No," Maji said firmly, surprising Kovu. "I want this to work out. After hearing about their past, I don't want them to leave or think I gave up on them. They're strong and could be of great use to the pride. And while we can teach them about hunting and patrolling and even tree climbing, they can teach us some new fighting skills. We don't get much conflict here, but you can never be too careful."

"Hmph, I think your lioness' are already ferocious enough." Kovu said under his breath. He and Maji descended the hill and Maji called the pride to gather. The Outsiders didn't move at first, but Kovu motioned them over with a tail flick. Maji climbed up the tree to address everyone from a low lying branch and cleared his throat.

"Prince Kovu and I have talked about the Outsiders and some things I did not know were brought to my attention." He turned to address the Outsiders in particular this time. "It seems our new pride members aren't as," Maji paused, seemingly to search for the right word to not upset the lionesses. "...experienced with things like hunting and patrolling territory. I take the blame in this, as I did not know as much as I do now about their past. I have decided that we will help them hone these skills to make them fine huntresses and patrollers. And in return, we ask you to teach us good fighting skills that we may not know."

The Outsiders seemed a bit bewildered, but also quite flattered from the last line. They whispered to themselves and each other and cast glances to the other lionesses.

"Do you accept?" Maji asked. The Outsiders all went silent. _Please accept..._ A murmur from the group of Grass Walls lions made Kovu look their way. Chunguzi was giving a skeptical look at the Outsiders, as if she couldn't imagine them fighting off anything.

" _Fighting_ skills?" She said, her voice dripping with skepticism. "What could they know that we don't?"

"Would you like a demonstration?" Kua said, crouching low to the ground and ready to pounce. Kovu looked up at Maji, not sure how he would take the rising tension. But he wasn't interfering at all, although his tail was twitching uncomfortably and he clenched and unclenched the branch he was on with his claws. Chunguzi growled in response.

"I think I would!" No sooner than Chunguzi spoke, Kua leapt at her. The two lionesses came together in a ball of snarling fury. The two lionesses then split apart, circled each other with ears pinned, and then lunged for each other again. They met each other reared on their hind legs, teeth bared in each others faces, trying to see who could push the other down. Kua tried to take a step forward, but fell back under Chunguzi's heavier bulk.

"See," She sneered as Kua was pinned beneath her. "What could we learn from th-?!" Kua heaved with her hind legs. Chunguzi was sent sailing off and over Kua, and landed with a splash in the watering hole. A gasp rose up from both groups. _Okay, it's over. Kua tried to drown Maji's second in command. Guess I'm bringing them back home_. Kovu groaned as Chunguzi waded out of the pond. She shook herself and sent cascades of droplets over the surrounding lions.

"See," Kua said flatly, smoothing her fur with her tongue. "What could you _not_ learn from us?" She swaggered back to the group of Outsiders as they congratulated her in her victory. Chunguzi gave a soft growl, and began to groom and dry herself.

"Well then," Maji said. "That was quite the move Kua. So, do you accept my invitation?"

Kua and the other four lionesses paused to look at each other, and then they all nodded in agreement. Maji smiled, and then turned to the other females.

"My lionesses, you are the original natives of this pride and territory. Do you accept these lionesses as your pride mates and friends? To teach and learn together? To hunt and eat together? To live as part of one family?"

"We do." The Grass Walls lions said in unison.

"Then welcome! You are Outsiders no more. As of now, you are Grass Walls lions!" Maji descended from the tree and touched his nose to the forehead of the ex-Outsiders. Then, the native Grass Walls lionesses came over and did the same, as well as weaving their sent into each other's fur. Kovu watched as Chunguzi came over to Kua, her coat still wet. The two stared at each other for a moment, until Chunguzi rubbed herself along Kua's side, making sure to rub a good amount of water onto the other lioness.

Kovu leaned his weight against the tree, sighing with relief. The ex-Outsiders and the Grass Walls lions were one now, hopefully they were forever. His first mission as Prince was a success! He definitely felt accomplished and proud of himself.

"Kovu," Kovu looked up as Kua stood in front of him. "Thank you for coming." She gave him a nose touch to his forehead before going back to talk with her new pride mates. _What do I do now?_ Kovu wasn't sure. He promised Kiara he wouldn't be too long, and Rafiki was staying in Grass Walls. Maybe he should just go home now, his goal was complete anyway. He got up and prepared to retrace his steps out of Grass Walls territory.

"Where do you think you're going?" Maji came up beside him. "Stay a while. You're a guest, we'd be more than happy if you stayed for a few days. Your trip here must've been quite the walk"

"Sorry, but I need to get home. There's someone waiting for me." Kovu said.

"Awww!" Zuri cooed as Tiifu giggled beside her.

"But maybe I'll stay the night. And do you have anything to eat?" Kovu asked. Maji chuckled and rounded up the lionesses, and sent them out to hunt.

They all spent the rest of the day feasting on impala and getting to know each other better. When the sun finally began to set, they all lay down to sleep. Kovu closed his eyes, content with himself, and went to sleep.

* * *

 **Welp, here's chapter four. Something I forgot to put in the author's note of chapter 2 (and 3...) was my theory about Scar handpicking Kovu was because he was 2nd born. He was still kinda bitter about Mufasa getting all the attention from their father, so he kinda blew off Nuka was because he was 1st born. ALSO, have you guys heard about the upcoming LIVE ACTION TLK remake?! I personally think it could be really good. If it's anything like The Jungle Book remake, the animation should be superb and the fight scenes pretty darn good (like in the original Jungle Book the final fight consisted of Baloo grabbing Sher Khan's tail and then Sher Khan kinda devoured the rear end like fresh produce; while in the remake IT WAS FREAKING BATTLE ROYALE WITH ALL THE ANIMALS THROWING DOWN). No current release date, but I'd say maybe 2019-2021 time frame. :D**


	5. Chapter 5

Kovu yawned, blinking away sleep and looking around him. He got up and shook himself, fluffing the fur on his side that had been flattened from sleeping. He noticed the Grass Walls natives and ex-Outsiders slept in two different groups, but the groups were positioned next to each other. In time, they'd probably merge into one big sleep pile like the Pridelanders. Maji lay on a branch in his tree with his legs draping down.

"Maji…" Kovu whispered. Maji's eyes opened and he looked down at him. "I'm going to leave now."

"Do you know which way you're going? Wouldn't want you to get turned around or lost." Maji mumbled around his large yawn. Kovu looked up at the stars in the sky, searching for _Mkali_. The night sky was a bit cloudy, but the stars could still be seen. Kovu spotted a star that he thought could be it, but he wasn't entirely sure…

"Um, yes." He said, squinting at the star. _It probably is the right one, just stop doubting yourself or you'll get even more confused_ , he thought. Maji followed his gaze.

"You can read the stars? Impressive."

"Well, not really. I can read _a_ star, not all of them."

"Where did you learn to do that?" Maji asked.

"A crazy old baboon, the baboon that led me here actually." Kovu said. "Hey, if you run into the troop led by...um…"

"Jelani?"

"Yeah, by Jelani. If you see them give them a message for Rafiki that I've headed home already."

"I'll be sure to remember that if I come across them." Maji yawned again. "I can't thank you enough Kovu, and I hope you know that."

"I do." Kovu smiled. "The king will probably send his adviser, the bird that led the lionesses to Grass Walls, to see how things are going maybe a month from now. I hope you won't need me here anytime soon." Maji mumbled something in acknowledgement of Kovu before slowly closing his eyes again and falling asleep. Kovu looked back at the sleeping lionesses, making a note to himself to tell Kiara about Tiifu and Zuri asking about her. He guessed if he moved fast enough he just might be able to get back to the Pridelands early in the morning of the next day. Kovu cast a look at the Grass Walls lions one last time, before slipping away into the night.

* * *

Kovu traveled in a ground covering trot, wasting no time to rest. His sleep hadn't been long enough to regain all his energy but it would suffice for the journey home. He looked up at the star again, hoping it was the right one. Kovu recalled Simba telling him that Grass Walls was east of the Pridelands, and he was heading west at the moment. So even if he wasn't following _Mkali_ exactly, he was headed in the right direction.

 _That wasn't too difficult, actually…_ Kovu thought, remembering the day's events. He felt a little silly for worrying so much when Simba had given the mission to him. _Well don't get too cocky_ , he told himself, _this was your first mission, and you're only a prince right now. It could get a lot harder when I'm king._ Kovu blanched at that thought.

 _One day when you're big and strong…!_

Kovu shook his head, his mother's lullaby ringing in his ears. He took a deep breath, and slowed to a walk. His mother had never told him her motives for him when he carried out her plan to kill Simba. The only thing she had revealed was her main goal: Having King Simba fall at Kovu's claws. He had rarely pondered on what he was going to do if that plan succeeded. _What kind of terrible things did Zira have planned for me…? Who would she have made me hurt besides Simba…?_

 _Would she…have made me hurt Kiara?_ Kovu sat on his haunches, sick at the thought. He remembered the hurt look on Kiara's face at his exile, and remembered the way his heart had turned cold and sank like a stone when Kiara had tumbled over the cliff into the gorge. He remembered just only a few months ago, how ruthless he had been. How sure he was that he would be the one to spill Simba's blood. How small and dark his view of the world had been! But Kiara had opened his eyes to love and fun for the first time. Kovu swore to himself he would always cherish her for that.

He got up, beginning to walk again. Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine. Kovu froze, only the muscles in his shoulder twitching. His claws unsheathed instinctively, and his pupils dilated as he looked out into the dark night. He felt...as if he were being watched. The night was eerily quiet, no owls calling or any other animals around that he could hear. The only sound was the grass slowly whispering to itself as the wind ran across it. Another shiver ran up his spine. He felt… _Hunted..._

His ears swiveled in different directions, trying to pick up the sound of any other animals. A creaking sound far off to the left made him snap his head in that direction with his ears perked. He squinted as his gaze came upon a shape in the distance, nestled between two trees. He couldn't make out what it was, but it seemed to be a large animal. His first thought was that it could be a hippopotamus, out for a nightly graze as they often were. But he had not seen or even smelled any water that he had passed. Maybe there was some ahead, but then again he hadn't seen a watering hole on the way to Grass Walls with Rafiki either.

His next guess was it was possibly a rhinoceros. They were known to go on moonlit strolls, rhinos had very little to fear. But that still didn't answer why Kovu felt so odd. _Maybe this is what an antelope feels like before it gets pounced on. It can feel something is wrong, but it doesn't know what it is until it's too late…_

"Hello?" Kovu called out. There was no response. His ears stood at attention once more when a soft clicking sound came from the animal, so soft he thought maybe he imagined it. There was another soft sound, like something flying through the air. And then something full of hot fire stung Kovu in the thigh. Kovu instinctively cried out in pain. He reached around with his front paws to bat the stinger out, but it stayed lodged in his hind leg. "You didn't need to do that! I wasn't going to hurt you!" He yelled at the animal.

The creature respond by opening its eyes, so bright they looked like they held fire within them, and then letting out a rumbling snarl. It charged at him, covering the ground between them with surprising speed. Kovu turned tail and ran, never having felt as frightened. He chanced a glance over his shoulder, only to be blinded by the beast's fiery eyes. Another stinger to his shoulder caused his eyes water, blinding him further.

"I said I'm not trying to hurt you! LEAVE ME ALONE!" He gave a snarl of his own as he fled. He made a sharp turn, trying to throw off the animal, but it only slowed down a bit before reclaiming the distance Kovu had gained. "Help!" Kovu called out in desperation. He heard the animal's growling begin to fade, causing Kovu to look behind him, squinting his eyes to protect them from the beast's bright glare. It was definitely slowing down. _Good, stay away from me whatever you-!_

His thoughts were cut off as the ground disappeared from below his paws. He tumbled down an incline, falling head over heels. He hit the ground with a heavy thud. He looked up just as a cascade of rocks rained down after him. One landed with a sickening thump on his right front paw, causing him to scream out in pain. He tried to get up, but his legs felt incredibly heavy and his injured paw was throbbing. Kovu's heart filled with dread as the animal appeared at the top of the fall, it's black, round paws perched on the edge.

It peered down at him with its dazzling eyes. Kovu finally got to his feet, but crashed down as he tried to take a step. His vision swam and black spots appeared blinking in and out of his line of sight. His heart was hammering in his chest, threatening to burst. Kovu's uncontrollable fear was almost enough to make him vomit, his stomach felt like he had swallowed a hundred cold stones. Was this what it felt like to die? He tried to get up but his legs flailed uselessly.

"Help…!" He cried out, but his words were slurred. "Help…! Simba…?!" Kovu felt his eyelids growing incredibly heavy, and his entire body felt weighed down. "Kiara…?! Someone… Help… Please…" Kovu blinked slowly, trying to will his eyes to stay open. But when he tried to blink again, his eyes stayed closed. A few moments later, Kovu was tossed into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **Er, I feel kinda weird about this chapter because it feels kinda... Bummy, I guess? It's kinda short, as I wanted to make the next scene its own chapter. So... Yeah, that'll be out soon. The chapters to come should be longer, so they might take longer to type. \\(._.)/**


	6. Chapter 6

" _NO!" Zira's earsplitting screech cut through the pouring rain. Kovu hunkered deeper into the crevice Nuka, Vitani, and him had wedged themselves into. The roaring fire had subsided, replaced with the roaring of lions. Kovu peered out of the crack him and his siblings had hid in, looking for his mother. She had pushed them into it when the fires started, telling them to stay and not move until she told them to come out. All Kovu had heard was the snarls of hyenas and lions as the fire raged on. He wondered if the hyenas had found out about what Scar really thought of them and revolted._

 _But Kovu had caught a glimpse of a male lion he had never seen before. He saw a flash of gold and red, before the lion disappeared around a turn. Kovu looked for his mother, searching for the dark stripe that set her apart from the other lionesses. He couldn't see her, but he had definitely heard her scream. He scurried out of the crack, looking around. The air smelled of rain and smoke and fear scent and blood._

" _Kovu…!" Nuka whispered urgently. "Get back here,_ right now! _Mother told us not to leave until she came back!" Nuka was right, but their mother wouldn't have screamed like that unless she was in trouble._ Maybe she got hurt by hyenas, or the fire!, _Kovu couldn't imagine what would happen if his mother's injuries were serious. Kovu finally spotted her, crouched over something. She was surrounded by lionesses, some looking at her with pity, some looking on in disgust. As Kovu began to run down to her, he spotted the lion he had seen before at the peak of Pride Rock, looking down at Zira in confusion._

 _The lion was young, but strong looking, and he radiated authority. But why was he in Scar's place? Kovu squeezed past the lionesses, coming up behind his mother. "Mom? What's wrong are you alright?" Kovu asked. His mom didn't answer, but he heard her breath coming out in ragged gasps and her shoulders shaking as if she were cold. "Mom…?" He asked again. Zira responded with a choked noise, that Kovu realised was a sob. She was crying… Kovu looked her over, looking for injuries, but all he saw was a couple of minor bite marks and a nicked left ear that was still bleeding._

" _Mother…?" Nuka said, coming up behind him. Vitani gave Kovu a look, but he didn't know what to tell her. Nuka came closer to their mother, "Mother, what's wrong? Are you hurt? What's wro-?" Nuka gasped. Kovu was even more worried now. What was wrong?! His eyes caught on a stick that lay on the ground in front of his mother. Kovu came closer, realizing it wasn't a stick but in fact a tail. Kovu squeezed past his mother and older brother to see what they were crouched over._

 _The sight made him sick. Scar lay limp on the ground, his fur slick with blood and rain, his body mangled with bite marks. His scrutinizing, green eyes were pale and faded from death, and he looked as if he were staring at nothingness. Kovu heard Vitani's horrified squeak as she came up beside him. Zira continued to sob, digging her face into Scar's mane, which seemed to be torn out in a few places from whatever creatures had ravaged him._

" _What is the problem here?" The lionesses parted to allow the golden lion through. His gaze passed over Vitani, but his eyes snagged on Kovu and Nuka. The golden lion's claws shot out, but then he quickly sheathed them again._

" _You…" Zira said with a shaky breath. "YOU!" This time a snarl, she spun around with her claws out and her shoulders hunched, protecting Scar's body. "_ YOU KILLED HIM!" _Kovu took a step back from his mother, frightened by her aggression. The golden lion looked behind her at Scar's body._

" _I didn't." He said flatly._

"What?! _Do not lie to me, I saw you toss him off Pride Rock!" She growled. "I_ saw _it!"_

" _Yes, I did do that." He responded. "But, I did not kill him. The hyenas did that. They must've heard him push the blame on them for all the wrongs he has done."_

" _Scar did nothing wrong! He was a good king! A GREAT king! YOU KILLED HIM!"_

" _That," The golden lion said, his tail giving an irate flick, "Is up for debate._ I _am king now, the_ rightful _king. My name is Simba, son of King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi."_

" _No!" Zira barked. "Scar is the rightful king!"_

" _You said it yourself though. Scar is dead, he is king no longer." Simba motioned to Scar's limp body. Kovu crept behind his mother, crouching low to the ground as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, both of which seemed to be feeding off the growing tension between Zira and Simba. Zira cast a look at Scar's body, and growled to herself._

" _Yes… Scar_ is _dead… But that means nothing! You still aren't the rightful king!" She spat._

" _Then who is?" Simba asked. Before Kovu could guess what she was about to do, she turned around and snatched him up in her jaws. She plopped Kovu down in front of her, clear for all to see._

"He _is! Kovu!_ Prince _Kovu! Chosen by King Scar himself as his heir!" She paraded behind Kovu, her head high and teeth bared. The blood from her ear dripped down her neck, making her look even more hysterical than she already sounded. Her bloodshot eyes were not helping with her look either._

 _Simba looked Kovu up and down, taking in his features. Kovu knew he didn't look exactly like Scar. His fur was a dustier brown instead of Scar's richer orange-brown, and his tail tuft was a very dark brown instead of coal black. But he could already tell by the narrowed eyes of Simba, he looked close enough to be Scar's son._

" _As long as I am King of the Pridelands," Simba said, lifting his head up high to look down on Zira. "As long as I am_ alive… _Scar's progeny will not be allowed to step paw into the Pridelands."_

" _THEN DIE!" Zira roared and flew at Simba. She landed on his back, snarling and clawing. Simba snarled, bucking and writhing as Zira tore at his shoulders and back. Nuka stood over Kovu and Vitani protectively, his face grim. Kovu watched as Zira's jaws snapped at Simba's neck, trying in vain to deal out a killing bite. But Simba's red mane was too full, and all she got was a mouthful of fur each time._

" _Get off of him!" Two lionesses, one older and resembling Simba, and one younger lioness that was tawny and sleek, came running forward. The two of them heaved Zira off of Simba's back. Zira turned on them, swiping at their faces and catching the older lioness on the snout, leaving a bloody scratch. Simba roared in anger, and with a mighty paw clubbed Zira across the face. Zira tumbled to the ground, dazed._

" _Mother!" Kovu and his siblings called out simultaneously. He rushed to his mother's side, licking her cheek. Zira's eyes slowly focused back on Simba, and her hatred came back full force. She staggered to her paws, leaning against Nuka as he came up to her._

" _I'll be back one day. Me and my son." She motioned down to Kovu. "And when we come back, he'll tear out your throat and leave your body to rot for the scavengers. Then Kovu will take the throne as Scar wanted." She seethed as Simba set his jaw, watching her silently even while the millions of scratches she had left on him trickled with blood. "My lionesses, to me! Come to my side!" She called out. Almost at once, a group of fourteen lionesses, the ones that had been looking on in pity, separated themselves from the others._

 _They were lean and thin, unlike the bulkier Pridelands lionesses. It was easy to tell the difference when they were separated. They came to Zira silently, a few casting glances back to the Pridelanders. Some of them had been friends with them, Kovu remembered, but their original ties to Zira were stronger than a mere acquaintanceship with a Pridelander. "We_ will _be back."_

 _Zira went to Scar's body, and with Nuka's help she slid it onto her back._

" _Where are you going with that?" Simba asked._

" _I am giving him a proper burial. The burial a king deserves." She hissed. She gave all the Pridelanders a poisonous glare, including a baboon Kovu had never seen before, as well as a weird pig thing being ridden by some sort of mongoose. She ordered one of her lionesses to carry Vitani and for Nuka to grab Kovu, before stalking off into the stormy night with Scar's body draped over her._

 _Simba looked down at Kovu, his eyes dark. As Kovu met his gaze, he saw that whatever Simba saw in him, it was personal and ran deep in Simba's mind. Something Simba would_ never _be able to erase. Kovu trembled under the adult's gaze, trying not to start crying even though he didn't know why he would. Kovu sank closer to the ground as Simba leaned down, his orange eyes looking into the depths of Kovu's green ones._

" _You must never return…" Simba said softly. Kovu felt Nuka grab his scruff, feeling his neck vibrate as Nuka gave Simba a brave growl. Simba simply looked down at him, unmoved. Nuka snorted before he turned to follow his mother to wherever she figured she would lead them. Kovu kept his eyes trained on the new king as he was carried away. The two stayed looking at each other until they had lost sight of each other due to the growing distance._

 _Rain poured, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled._

* * *

Kovu came to slowly, his mind foggy with a dull, pounding headache and his entire body felt heavy. The ground was cold and hard, and his bones ached when he tried to shift himself. He cracked open his eyes, but gave a groan and shut them as he was blinded by the sun's brightness. His mind ticked for a moment, _I'm cold...but the sun is out..._ Kovu mulled over that detail for a few seconds. He opened his eyes, ever so slowly to see where the light was coming from. Above his head was a bright, unnatural light that was nothing like the sun's warm rays. It gave off an odd white glow and seemed to be making a soft, but incessant humming noise. Kovu looked around with his eyes, as he was just too tired to pick up his head.

He seemed to be in a cave... Sort of...? The cave seemed to be made up of three walls made up of stone, Kovu guessed, but the fourth wall was made up of some other odd material. It was shiny and thin but it looked strong, as if it were made up of a sturdy type of spider silk of some kind. He looked up again to see that 3 ledges jutted out of the wall, all of them made of wood and having what looked and smelled like dried grass covering their surface. The ledges were placed higher than one another, within jumping distance of each other. Kovu stayed there, looking around at his surroundings, but not really looking at all, until something struck him that felt like lightning coursing throughout his veins.

 _I'm alive..._ He thought. The thought slapped him in the face hard enough to make his legs move. _I'm alive!_ This time Kovu propped himself up a bit on his good paw, remembering his other paw was tender from being hit by a rock. _I'M ALIVE!_ He sat up on shaky legs, breathing in shallow gasps. How was he not dead? Shouldn't he have been eaten by now? He remembered the odd animal stinging him and chasing him, and then him blacking out. _I...blacked out...?_ Why had he blacked out again? It couldn't have possibly been from fear, could it? No, he wasn't that feeble-nerved (at least he didn't think he was). The fall hadn't really been much besides the rock and his paw. _Maybe it was those stingers,_ He thought. He remembered one time when Simba's friend Timon had gotten stung by a few bees and had been drowsy almost all day. Kovu finally rose to his feet, but gritted his teeth as he was wracked by a pounding headache.

He stood with his eyes squinted shut until the headache passed. He opened his eyes again, and then strained his ears. He couldn't hear any other animals, but he did smell something faint. He curled his lip, letting the scent flow into his mouth to taste it. It smelled like a lion...but it didn't... It also smelled like a leopard, but that wasn't it either. Kovu sniffed again. It smelled like an old male used to stay in this cave quite often, but from what Kovu could tell he hadn't been in this cave for quite a long time. He began to call out, but checked himself. He wasn't going to make himself known this time. _This time, I'll wait for whoever brought me here to come to me. And then I'll get them before they even know what happened._ He tentatively raised himself up onto the first ledge, which wasn't much taller than himself, and then got onto the second ledge. He crouched silently, his ears swiveling and his eyes scanning the cave for any openings. He couldn't see any, except one that might have been an opening but it was blocked by a flap of some shiny, reflective material.

Kovu narrowed his eyes and twitched his ears as a series of clicking sounds came from above him. The clicks eventually gave way to a slow groaning sound, and then something gave a loud bang that almost made Kovu jump out of his fur. His eyes darted around the cave for the source of the noise, but his attention was broken when a sound somewhat like a strong wind filled the cave. Kovu twitched his tail and leaned back against the cave wall apprehensively as the noise grew louder. And then he noticed that there was actually a wind blowing throughout the cave, except instead of cooling the already cold air, it warmed it up. _That breeze has to be coming in from somewhere, I could use it to escape if I need to._ Kovu spotted another shiny panel, this time made up of horizontal strips of the shiny material, in the upper corner of the cave. But it was too high to reach by jumping from the ground, and was too small to squeeze through anyhow. Kovu gave a soft sigh and slowly closed his eyes, quelling his frustration.

Another foreign sound made him jump, but he retained his position on the ledge. The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the cave, along with the noise of an animal. And then an odd, primate-esque animal appeared behind the spider web. It looked his way absently, and then jumped back with a gasp as if just realizing he was awake. Kovu held steady, looking the animal up and down. It honestly reminded him of Rafiki, with nimble hands that had five fingers. Unlike Rafiki though, this animal stood upright perfectly, not needing the support of a staff. Its body was covered in blue-green rags, but the skin he could see was pale and hairless. The only fur the animal had was above its eyes and on its head, trailing down its shoulders in long pale strands. From the look and smell of it, it seemed to be a female. Was she the one who brought him here? Was she in cahoots with the fire-eyed stinger animal?

"Why did you bring me here?" Kovu asked, giving an authoritative growl to his tone. The female primate-thing raised up her hands in a soothing gesture, showing her teeth in an easy smile. Kovu curled his lip at her. How dare she smile at him! After what she had done? Sending her stinger beast to hunt him down and bringing him to who knows where? Kovu's anger gave rise to confusion, _Where exactly am I...?_ He couldn't smell anything familiar from this cave, he couldn't see or hear anything either. This was not good... Not good at all. Kovu kept his eyes on the primate as she slowly reached down and picked up a black stick off the ground. He watched as she stuck one end through one of the many gaps in the spider web. Kovu cocked his head, his gut twisting uneasily. This didn't seem right. The primate took a deep breath, and then blew into the stick. Kovu only got a quick glimpse of something zooming through the air before something stung him in the shoulder. He grimaced as he realized it was another one of those stingers. Kovu's calm broke and he leaped off of the ledge, claws outstretched as he covered the space in-between himself and the primate. But he slammed into the spider web and it held surprisingly well, and he crashed against it with a clanging sound. The primate jumped back with a yelp, but quickly regained her composure and went back to making what Kovu guessed to be her attempt at being soothing. It was kind of hard to think of her as such, seeing as how she had trapped him _and_ stung him again.

Kovu turned away from the spider web, growling futile threats under his breath. He looked around, and realized with a sickening dread his vision was beginning to blur. He stumbled, catching himself before he fell flat on his face. _So it_ was _those stingers that made me faint..._ , Kovu slowly lowered himself to the ground. _Well, if she didn't kill me last time... Maybe she doesn't want to kill me at all._ He looked at the primate as she watched him. He quelled down the fear that threatened to bubble up and took a shaky breath. _Do your worst you rag-wearing baboon, do your worst..._ He rested his head on the ground and closed his eyes. He wasn't going to fight it this time, so he welcomed the warm darkness of unconsciousness with barely a struggle.


	7. Chapter 7

Valerie Scurelle liked her job. It was perfect in her opinion. Well, _almost_ perfect. Being a zookeeper was great. She loved caring and bonding with all the different animals. What she did _not_ love was being stuck guiding a group of snotty nosed children through the zoo because one of the volunteers called in sick.

Valerie pulled her green coat tighter around herself as a blustery wind ruffled her. _Who in their right mind schedules a field trip in 40 degree weather? It's the freaking middle of February!_ she thought. They were barely halfway through the tour and she was already annoyed beyond belief. She rolled her eyes as one of the children started shrieking as another threatened to put gum in her hair. She quickly tied her own black hair into a highset bun, just in case any of the children got any ideas.

"This is our serval and caracal enclosure. The male serval who should be out now is named Doa, and the female caracal who is in her indoor pen is named Rukia. " She stopped at a medium sized enclosure full of tall grass and two small trees. "They're from Africa and like long grass, so we don't cut it down much. Doa's probably hiding somewhere, they don't like the cold. Let's see if I can draw him out…" Valerie cupped her hands together and gave a series of short whistles, like a bird call. Almost immediately, two large black ears appeared above the grass. She smiled as Doa bounded up to the edge of the fence with his ears perked and his short tail held high.

"Oh, a cheetah!" One of the kids called.

"It's a serval, actually." Valerie corrected her.

"It looks like a cheetah to me." The girl responded. Valerie gave a quiet sigh through her nose. She knew it was a bit silly to get annoyed when zoo visitors called any cat with spots a cheetah, but it still irked her a little.

"Well, Sadie, if the nice woman says it's a...surveillance cat or whatever…than that's what it is." The teacher said. Valerie simply kept on walking to the next enclosure. This one had short grass, but had a large plastic tunnel in the middle, and three large plastic balls were littered throughout the area.

"This is our coyote pack enclosure. We have three coyotes that live here. Their names are Fala, Tokota, and Langundo." At the sound of his name, a dark brown coyote poked his head out of the tunnel for a moment. He gave a wide yawn before disappearing again and settling down to go back to sleep. "They're all brothers and they came here when they were pups. A lady's dog found them when they went hiking and she decided to take them home because she thought they were abandoned puppies. Once she realized they weren't actually dog puppies, she brought them to Fish and Game and then they ended up here, at the zoo." Valerie cupped her hands once more and let out a wild, high-pitched howl. Now two heads were poking out, each at opposite ends of the tunnel.

The canines regarded her with a skeptical expression, as if wondering if Valerie's joyous howling was appropriate for such a dreary day. The third coyote, Tokota, pushed past his brothers and out of the tunnel. He gave a few short barks, before throwing his head back and howling at the sky. Fala and Langundo gave in and joined Tokota in his high-pitched howl. Valerie found coyote howls quite funny. Instead of the graceful howls of a wolf pack, coyote howls were what she called organized chaos. All of the howls were different pitches and keys, and honestly sometimes the howls could sound pretty odd.

"UGH, make those stupid dogs shut up RIGHT NOW." A little boy shrieked. He had his hands clasped over his ears and his face was scrunched up in a grimace. Valerie had to snort at that complaint. If she remembered correctly, this boy, Joseph, had been the loudest kid in the entire group. She let herself have a small chuckle as the teacher scolded him for using the word "shut up", hoping that was enough to quiet him for the rest of the tour. Her head lifted as a large splash came from an enclosure farther down the path, followed by the cheers and crows of a small crowd. Valerie couldn't help but smile, that was a common sound that came from her favorite exhibit.

"What was that?" One kid asked as more splashing sounds came from the enclosure.

"I wanna see! I wanna see!" Another started jumping up and down, but was held back by the firm grip of the other child he was paired to lock hands with.

"Come on." She motioned for the group to follow her as she headed down the path with a little bit more pep in her step. "This is my absolute favorite enclosure in the entire zoo." When they got there the group that had been watching had moved on to something else, so they had full view of the enclosure. This enclosure was one of the largest in the zoo, and was the most beautiful in Valerie's opinion. It had short, well kept grass with a large willow tree in the middle of it. Closer to the front of the enclosure, was a medium-sized pond stocked with a handful of large golden koi. It was the definition of peace and tranquility.

Well, at least it would be, if it were not for the two huge cats that were currently racing around it. One cat was fawn coated with brown stripes and a small ruff of a mane, and the other a warm caramel-brown with cub spots covering her face and legs.

"These two big cats are Pan and Neema," she said, leaning on the railing. "The zoo's liger and tigon. Our crowning jewel, at least I think so." She watched as Neema chased after Pan, playfully swatting at his hind legs, and started laughing as Pan dove into the pond to escape her. "Get out of the water Pan, you'll catch a cold!" The big liger responded by bounding deeper into the cold water.

"Pan?" One of the kids asked. It was Joseph again. " _That's_ his name?"

"Yes…"

"Why? Is it 'cause of Peter Pan or something?" he asked. That was a question Valerie had never encountered before.

"Er, no. He's called Pan because he's a liger, and he's part lion and tiger. And lions and tigers belong to the genus of _Panthera_ and so we thought…" Her voice quieted as she saw all the dumbstruck faces the children, and even their teacher, were currently wearing. "Well, I think it's cute anyway…"

"I think it's dumb." Joseph stated bluntly. _Well I think you're dumb! Now shut up before I go throw you to the gorillas![1]_ She fumed inwardly.

"Joseph!" The teacher gasped. Valerie rolled her eyes as the teacher began to rant about Joseph's language, and she rubbed her forehead in frustration. _If I wanted to be with children all day I would have put in an application for a spot at the petting zoo…_ She needed to get away from this group as fast as she could.

"Valerie!" someone called. Valerie lifted her head up and looked around for who had called. She saw a woman waving at her from behind a wooden gate with the label "Maintenance Path, Employees Only". The woman was Samantha, one of the zoo's veterinary assistants. She had shoulder length blonde hair and was clad in blue-green surgical scrubs, not much protection from the chilly air. Samantha motioned for her to come over, grinning excitedly. Valerie looked over her shoulder at the group. She couldn't just leave them, as much as she wanted to. The sound of a sweeping broom made her turn around. One of the volunteers was lazily sweeping leaves off the path. He honestly looked like he was about to fall asleep on his feet.

"Hey, James! Come over here!" She called out to him. The young man jumped at the sound of his name and made his way over to her. "Everybody, this is James. He'll be guiding you on the rest of the tour today, won't you James?"

"What…?" James yawned, leaning heavily on his broom. "Um, sure I guess…"

"Attaboy!" She gave him a friendly slap on the back before jogging over to Samantha. "Hey, Sam. What do you need?" Samantha's grin spread wider and she motioned Valerie to follow her. The maintenance path led behind Pan and Neema's enclosure, allowing access to their indoor pens. Valerie stopped at Pan's pen, expecting Samantha to unlock it and go inside. But Samantha kept walking. Valerie shrugged and followed her. Maybe they were going to Neema's indoor holding pen instead.

But Samantha walked straight past that one as well. Valerie followed her, wondering what else there could possibly be to show. There were only two things left; the maintenance shed or the unused holding pen. Samantha opened the door to the unused holding pen and stepped inside. Valerie followed, wondering what could be so exciting about an empty building.

Well, she found out when she saw the unconscious lion lying on the floor behind the fenced off portion of the small building. The zoo's head veterinarian was kneeling over the knocked out big cat, running her hands over him and inspecting his health. Her name was Lorraine, but everyone affectionately referred to her as Ms. Bradshaw. She was an older woman of Native American descent, and her eyes were always scrunched up in a happy, welcoming way.

"Ta-da!" Samantha opened the door of the fence and allowed Valerie in.

"Wow…" Valerie breathed. Being a zookeeper allowed her to get up close to the animals, but never _this_ close. "He's beautiful." The lion had brown fur with a dark mane. Even though he was asleep, she could tell he was bursting with youthful strength. "May I?"

Ms. Bradshaw smiled and scooted over. Valerie kneeled down beside her and ran a hand through the lion's mane. Despite its look, the mane was pretty rough to the touch. She ran a hand along his back, where the fur was much softer.

"Pretty cool, right? Aren't I just the best friend you could ever wish to have?" Samantha kneeled down beside her. "He gave me a bit of a scare when I darted him, flew right at my face. My fault I guess, the heater turning on probably scared the daylights out of him.

"Good idea turning that heater on, Samantha. These pen's can get as cold as a witch's titties, as my Pa used to say." Ms. Bradshaw chuckled. "He seems healthy. Young male, seems to be a Tsavo lion due to his thinner mane and his narrow face. He does have a scar on one of his eyes though. Wonder where that came from…" She wrote this down on her notepad to put in her log later. Valerie reached over and felt the scar that ran across the young lion's left eye. She gently pried open his eyelids, revealing the big cat's startling green eyes. They were unfocused due to the sleeping drugs, but they weren't cloudy. _Lucky him. If what ever gave him that scar had hit him wrong, they could've blinded him._ "The scar doesn't seem that old, but wasn't recent either. Probably got it a couple months ago."

"Hey, didn't this used to be El Diablo's holding pen?" Valerie asked. El Diablo had been the zoo's resident black jaguar for almost 17 years, long before Valerie had started working there. But she had been sad when he had died 7 months ago, even though Diablo was notorious for having an entrenched hate for the world and all its inhabitants.

"Ah, El Diablo…." Ms. Bradshaw said. She bore the scars on her chest from the time she had anesthetized Diablo for a check up, but got the dose slightly wrong. The drowsy jaguar had lashed out at her as she was looking him over, leaving her scrubs shredded and bloodied. "Evil son of gun that cat was. But he was my favorite! And Samantha, remind me to administer the long-lasting anesthetic before I'm finished. It'll keep him calm for a couple of days, so he can get accustomed to this enclosure.

"So, what's this guy's story?" Valerie asked. Both Pan and Neema had been rescued as cubs. Neema had been found wandering in the wild in Alaska on the brink of starvation, probably after escaping from her owner or set loose to die. Pan had been given up by his owner's family, after his tigress mother had mauled the owner and killed him. Pan's mother and father had been shot dead, but the family couldn't bring themselves to kill the innocent cub.

"He's from Tanzania. Which is kind of odd, since Tsavo lions come from Kenya…" Samantha said. "They found him wandering in between the territories of two established prides in the middle of the night."

Valerie scratched her head. That really didn't explain much. "So...was he a rescue that escaped or…?"

Samantha glanced up, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Um, no… He was captured in the wild, Valerie."

"Excuse me?" Valerie said. "In the wild…?"

"Yes." Samantha said. Valerie looked the lion over again. Now that she looked closely, he was lithe and well muscled. Most captive big cats were a bit flabby and doughy, but this young lion's body was tough and hardened from living off the land. But lions were a vulnerable species, capturing one to keep it in captivity was ludicrous!

"Who authorized this?" Valerie asked, her irritation from before coming back, at the ready to be aimed at someone else.

"Heh, who do you think?" Samantha raised an eyebrow at her. _Ugh, he did not…_ Valerie thought. But now that she thought about it, who else could make such a drastic decision like this? She got up and began to walk out of the small building.

"Where are you going?" Samantha asked. Valerie looked over her shoulder.

"Heh, where do you think?"

* * *

Valerie stood outside the door to her boss' office. Dakota Stinson's office was attached to the breakroom, the breakroom that no one really used. They had all suspected that Dakota had set up his office there to make sure none of them would begin to take up the habit of slacking off and hiding in the breakroom. And if that was Dakota's plan, it sure as heck worked. Barely anyone stayed in the breakroom for more than 5 minutes at a time, fearing Dakota would come out and question them about why they weren't hard at work. That was evident by the untouched 2 month old box of doughnuts sitting on the table in the middle of the room.

It was a well-known joke among the employees and even the volunteers that Dakota either had bad days, or slightly not as bad days. On bad days he'd fix you with his steel gray gaze until you couldn't take the pressure anymore and awkwardly bolted from the room, or at least wanted to bolt. On his slightly not as bad days his eyes didn't hold the same icy malice, but he would easily cut you down with passive-aggressiveness and sarcasm. She'd never met a 30 year old man that was so serious and work driven, it always surprised her when she remembered he was only 4 years older than her. As Valerie prepared herself to knock, she wondered which of Dakota's two sides lay beyond.

 _Er, maybe I shouldn't go in… He does write out my paychecks after all…_ Valerie thought. _Maybe this is all a misunderstanding and that lion isn't from the wild after all. Samantha was just joking or something... What would I even say after I get in there?_ She began to slowly step back, making her way back outside. But just as she was a couple more steps from the door, her sneakers made an unnecessarily loud squeaking sound as they scuffed across the floor.

"Is someone out there?" A deep voice came from the office. Valerie swore under her breath. "If so, you should either get back to work or come in and tell me what you need." Valerie took a deep breath. She unraveled her hair from the bun and let it flow down to her shoulders. Her mother had always told her the secret to being taken seriously was free-flowing hair and standing tall. She opened the door to the office and strode in.

"It's me, Valerie." She stood in front of his desk, which was covered in stacks of neatly piled papers. Dakota didn't look up from his paperwork, and he continued to sign papers for some time. But when he did look up, Valerie saw that his eyes didn't have that angry gleam that they sometimes had. _Okay, that's a good sign. It's a slightly not so bad day, apparently._

"Scurelle…?" He said, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Um, yes…" She responded, hesitantly. While she was glad he wasn't going stare her down with his eyes of doom, she was not able to handle any sarcasm. It always made her extremely annoyed, and she only thought of witty comebacks when the conversation was over. Her mother had told her it was a side effect of her father's Italian temper.

"Well, what do you need?" Dakota leaned back slightly in his chair and slowly drummed his fingers on the desk. _Oh, this might not end very well_ Valerie thought. But she straightened up and crossed her arms.

"It has come to my attention that there is a new resident of the zoo. A _lion_. And it has also come to my attention that this lion was wild caught."

"Yes." Dakota said. Valerie narrowed her eyes. She probably didn't look like much of an opponent for him when it came to verbal confrontations that relied on posture and tone of voice. Her honey-brown eyes didn't have the same effect as his gray ones, and her pale skin and thin body didn't radiate power the same way his darker and bulkier body did. But she wouldn't be trifled with on this subject.

" _Mr. Stinson_ , you know good and well that you _can not_ bring a lion from the wild and hold it in captivity. They're already a vulnerable species and they need every individual they can to keep their numbers up. You know that don't you?"

"Yes." Dakota said again. Valerie sighed deeply through her nose. She was about to continue speaking, but was quieted when Dakota held up his hand. "You don't seriously think I would just bring in a wild African lion just to keep it in a zoo for the rest of its life, do you?" Valerie opened her mouth, but closed it after realizing she didn't have a response to his question. She felt her face flush as he let out a chuckle. "Well, _Ms. Scurelle_ , if you're going to accuse me of something like this, you might as well know the entire story first, right? I didn't authorize the capture of a wild male lion, that was out of my control. The Board of Directors made this happen."

"The Board?" Valerie asked. "You can't be serious?"

"Serious as a heart attack, I'm afraid."

"Why would they do that?" Valerie asked. Although she never thought of Dakota as man that lied, this didn't sound right.

"Well, I'm just one part of a bigger plan, Ms. Scurelle. The Board decided to send out a team to Tanzania to capture a young male lion. Then that lion would stay here for two weeks, in quarantine to check his health and wellbeing. While he's here we'll be taking an A.I. sample so he can help widen the genepool of captive lions. Also, while he's here, he'll be bred to Neema. After that-."

"Wait, wait, wait. What? Bred to _Neema_?" Valerie asked. " _Neema_ , the _tigon_?"

"Yes." Dakota said nonchalantly, as if they were making totally normal and polite conversation.

"Why? Why not just breed her to Pan?"

"Because, Pan is a male liger. Male ligers are sterile, more often than not. And anyway, having a litter of li-tigon cubs running around would increase our income by a great amount."

"Okay, I see your point there…" She said, although she really didn't. She could already see that plan going wrong in her head. "Go on."

"After the 2 weeks are up, he'll be sent to the Amreli district in India to help increase the lion population and genetic diversity there." He paused as he saw the questioning look on her face again. "You have a question?"

"Yes. Why are they using an _African_ lion to help repopulate the lions in _Asia_? That doesn't make any sense, they're two different subspecies."

"Well, the Board thought it would be better for the population of lions in India to be boosted by a little crossbreeding instead of simply letting them die out from inbreeding. After all, they did the same thing in Yellowstone. They took Canadian wolves and brought them to America, and now there's a healthy population of wolves in the park. Why can't they do the same with lions?" Valerie didn't have an answer for that. It did make some sense, she had to admit. And now she felt a bit silly for coming up to his office, but at least she had gotten some answers.

"Well, that makes sense, I guess." She averted his gaze for a moment as she collected herself. "But I have a bad feeling about your plans for Neema."

"Why?"

"Because you're going to breed her with a wild male. What about Pan? Male big cats kill cubs that aren't theirs." Valerie tapped her foot slowly, allowing herself a small moment of victory as she saw that Dakota hadn't thought of that detail.

"Well," He said slowly, "We'll just have to keep Neema and Pan apart."

"You can't do that! They've been together since they came here as cubs, you can't possibly separate them!"

"I'll do whatever I have to do." He shrugged. "Are we done here, Ms. Scurelle? I need to get back to my paperwork." Valerie's mouth twitched, but she pressed her lips together to keep herself from smirking. Was the notorious Dakota Stinson seriously running from an awkward conversation? Had she really won? But as if reading her mind, he looked up at her, his eyes icing over. "Oh, and Ms. Scurelle. I heard that they need some help over at the petting zoo. Apparently there's a surplus of children here today. So if you could go down there and provide your assistance that would be very much appreciated." _Ugh… Not again_ …

"Yes, Mr. Stinson…" She slowly walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. She leaned back against the door and hung her head. "God, he's aggravating…"

"What was that, Ms. Scurelle?" Dakota's voice called from behind the door.

"Nothing!" She hurried out of the breakroom, back into the chilly air. _To the petting zoo it is, then…_ She sighed and slowly made her way to the petting zoo.

Valerie Scurelle liked her job. It was perfect in her opinion. Well, _almost_ perfect...

* * *

[1] - Have a dead meme

 **Eheh, well... This is overdue... ; - ; Grr, I was mulling over this chapter for quite some time because I'm not very good at switching between animal and human POVs. It always comes out kind of weird... I mean, it's probably fine and I'm probably doubting myself for no reason at all, but meh. Anyhow, I have the "meat" of the story outlined and have a good idea where this is going to go, which is a first. So stay with me! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

Kovu was sprawled out on one of the ledges in the cave, staring into nothingness. His eyes were hooded and unfocused, and his mind was foggy and his thoughts came at an incredibly slow pace. _How long has it been since I woke up here…?_ He thought about it for a while. _Probably at least a day…_ He had felt woozy ever since he had awoken after being knocked out by that baboon thing.

She had come back not too long ago with food, some type of meat that smelled similar to buffalo. But Kovu had been too tired to think about eating and she had put the food away and left. _What did they do to me…?_ He tried to lift up his paws but the effort just didn't seem to be worth it. He sighed and closed his eyes, attempting to drift into sleep. The sound of the primate returning made him open his eyes again. More food? He still wasn't particularly hungry.

Kovu saw her hands were empty. She made a few indistinguishable noises as if she were trying to communicate before walking out of view again. He heard her feet shuffling around before a loud buzzing sound filled the cave. Kovu propped himself up from surprise, some of the fogginess in his mind shook off from the shock. The baboon thing peeked back into his view with a smile on her face. Kovu looked down at her skeptically.

A sliding sound coming from below him made him peer over the ledge. The shiny flap that had blocked the opening in one of the walls was moving upward, revealing the gap in the wall. Sunlight poured through and the smell of fresh air made Kovu's nose twitch. He turned to look at the primate again. Was she letting him go? He hopped off the ledge and looked out through the gap.

"What have I got to lose?" Kovu said before walking through. He emerged into dazzling sunlight and looked around in a daze. He was definitely outside. But as he looked around he noticed that the same shiny, silk-esque material that made up one of walls in the cave rose up out of the ground. On the other side of the silk wall was a strip of grass, a bright red barrier of some sort, and then a path made of smooth black rock. Another one of the primates, this one also seemed to be female, leaned against the red barrier, watching him with apprehension.

The silky walls were too tall to climb and he didn't think he'd be able to dig under them. He noticed two other cave-like structures. When he looked behind him at the cave he had just came out of, he realized they must've have been the same type of cave. His nose twitched again as another scent came to him. _Lions…_ It smelled like two individuals, a male and a female. He sniffed again. The scent was fresh and all over. The owners of the scents must spend a lot of their time in this area.

He must've been in their territory. He looked around again, scanning the area for any hidden forms waiting to pounce. But the area was devoid of hiding spots. An odd tree Kovu had never seen before stood in the center of the space, but he guessed it would've been a terrible hiding spot. The leaves were too wispy and vibrant for camouflage. His gaze came to rest on a small pond, the sunlight reflecting off the surface.

His throat ached at the sight. The primates had provided him with water but it had an odd taste and smell to it, so he had decided not to drink it just to be safe. Kovu padded over to it and lapped up the water greedily. A golden, carp-like fish slowly swam up to the surface and floated right in front of Kovu's nose. Kovu cocked his head in confusion. What kind of fish would be so brightly colored and swim right up to a predator? He half expected a fish eagle to swoop down and carry it off in its talons.

Kovu's ears perked up as the same buzzing sound he had heard before rang out again. His ears instinctively swiveled towards one of the other 'caves'. Before he could even process what was about to happen, the shiny flap that blocked the gap in that cave came up. A lioness stepped out and stretched herself. But as Kovu watched her, he realized she was no normal lioness.

Her fur was a warm shade of brown and her legs were covered in darker brown cub spots, which seemed odd to him since she appeared to be the same age as he was. Her face had darker brown markings as well, but they seemed too intricate to be simple cub spotting. They were almost like...stripes. He had never seen such markings. And as Kovu's nose twitched to bring in her scent, he also noticed that the scents he had smelled before weren't exactly lion either. They had another predatory tang to it. Almost lion...but not quite.

He stared at her as she gave a large yawn and shook herself. She looked around the area with a smile on her face. Until her eyes met his. Kovu watched as her silvery-blue eyes widened in shock and terror and her whole body froze. They stood staring at each other for a few moments. _Is she alright…?_ Kovu thought. He hadn't taken on a particularly malicious look, and he definitely wasn't looking for a fight in the state he was in now. She had no reason to be afraid, or at least he thought so.

"Um...hello?" He said, taking a small step forward. The female gave a frightened squeak before scurrying in the opposite direction. She pressed herself against the flap of the third cave and began whispering to herself in a panicky voice. Kovu strained his ears to hear what she was saying, but she was speaking too quietly and too quickly to make out the words. But he did pick up the voice of someone else. He realized she wasn't talking to herself, someone else was on the other side of the flap.

He watched as the female stared at him from the other side of the field. Kovu slowly raised his tail in a greeting signal, hoping it would show her that he was not a threat. Some of the fear lifted from the female's eyes and she found the confidence to stand up. She seemed to be readying herself to speak, but a loud roar rang out from the cave she was standing in front of. A series of loud banging sounds followed, paired with ferocious growling and snarling.

"Pan! Pan, stop!" The female shouted, hastily trying to calm down the cat on the other side. Kovu's hackles raised immediately and his claws came unsheathed. Whoever was on the other side of that flap was not happy. He glanced back at his own cave. The flap was still open, but retreating back inside would leave him trapped. He snapped his head forward as another loud clang came from the cave. The flap went flying off, landing almost halfway across the clearing.

A cat almost the size of Simba stepped out, his eyes scrunched up in anger and his teeth bared in a nasty show of aggression. His coat was a light brown color and covered in darker brown stripes. The cat sported a mane the same color as his fur and oddly small for his size. What kind of weird cats were these? Kovu's grogginess was thrown off as he prepared for a fight. The large male, Pan, sprinted in Kovu's direction with claws outstretched. Kovu gave a snarl of his own, his muscles ready for action.

Pan closed the gap between them and sprang at Kovu. Kovu rolled out of the way and Pan landed on empty space with a clumsy thump. Kovu quickly lunged for the other male, slamming his weight into Pan's shoulder to knock him off his paws. He firmly planted one paw on Pan's shoulder and the other on his throat, giving him a chance to submit. But the bigger male only squirmed and kicked out like a trapped cub.

 _Has this cat ever been in a fight in his entire life?_ Kovu quickly backpedaled, letting Pan scramble to his feet. Kovu narrowed his eyes at him, watching to see if Pan would lay down and submit or launch another attack. The way Pan's muscles bunched up gave Kovu his answer. But Kovu was ready, he knew a move that would end this fight quickly. Before Pan could pounce once more, Kovu reared up on his hind legs to his full height. With an outstretched paw, he slammed down on Pan's head with as much force as he could muster.

Days of training with his mother had taught him that move, and he definitely knew how much it hurt. He watched as Pan stumbled backwards in a daze. The trick wasn't to catch your opponent with unsheathed claws, but to deal a huge blow that stunned the enemy. It had obviously worked. But before Kovu could make sure Pan would surely be out of the fight, the female leaped in front of him.

"Stop!" She pleaded, blocking his path. "Please…" She crouched down submissively but still seemed ready to block his path in case he tried to step around her. Kovu gave a disbelieving snort. _He attacked me! If he's so quick to fight he needs to learn a lesson._ The female must've saw he wasn't willing to stop and placed a paw on his chest. " _Please_ … He was just protecting me."

Kovu stopped and took a deep breath. Something about the way she said that reminded him of Kiara. His heart gave an aching lurch at the thought of her, and the fighting spirit drained from his claws. A shout made him and the female turn their heads towards the primate, who had hopped over the red barrier. She held something in her hands that reminded Kovu of a python, but its limp body looked dead and not very dangerous.

The female gave another frightened squeak and quickly slunk back to the cave she had come out of. Kovu looked after her in confusion. Was a dead snake enough to make her cower? But Kovu saw the snake's body suddenly stiffen with life. He was shot with a forceful jet of water, strong enough to sting where it connected. He gave a snarl before retreating back to the cave he had come from.

When he got inside the flap instantly shut behind him, leaving him trapped inside. Again. He shook himself in annoyance, trying his best to dry his now soggy fur. "I need to get out of this place…" He growled to himself. He tried to remember all the details he'd seen outside before he was attacked by that clumsy brute. Kovu was done trying to see what these primates wanted. He was getting out and going back home, no matter what.

* * *

 **Um...so... This is _really_ over due... Sorry. My laptop decided to suddenly stop turning on back in April (April Fools Day of all days) and I've had to snatch time to sit down and work on this story on my family member's laptop. Luckily, this has given me time to think about how to connect the big events that are going to happen. There's a character coming up in some chapters further down and I just can't wait to add him to the story. Summer is here and I should have more time to work on this, so I'll try to stay as focused on this as I possibly can.**


	9. Chapter 9

Valerie took deep breaths as she turned off the water hose. She tossed the hose down as she placed a hand on her chest, feeling her racing heart. All the cats had raced back to their indoor pens, except Pan who was groggily stumbling in the direction of his. _That could've been very,_ VERY _bad…_ She took a shaky breath as she climbed the slope of grass and clambered back over the red guardrail and back onto the path.

"Heh, that was interesting." A woman said to her as Valerie rested her hands on her knees. She had red hair that was currently graying at the roots and flimsy looking cheetah print glasses as well as a thin black coat thrown over her shoulders. "Do most mornings here start like this?" Valerie could only manage to give her a weak smile before hastily pulling out her walkie talkie.

"Samantha, you there?"

"Yes. The new lion is secured in his pen, Neema is secured in her pen, and Pan just made it inside." Samantha responded.

"Good." Valerie turned the knob, allowing her to broadcast to all of the walkie talkies the zoo staff and volunteers carried with them. "I need any free veterinarians to report to the big cat enclosures immediately. We've had an altercation between the new lion and Pan. I repeat, report to the big cat enclosures as soon as possible." A static hiss from her walkie talkie told her that she was receiving an incoming transmission.

"Excuse me?" A voice came through. _No…_ Valerie thought. That voice. "Please repeat what you just said." _Dakota… NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!_ She groaned loudly, loud enough to get a questioning look from the woman who seemed to be watching the whole thing as if it were a semi-interesting television show.

"Mr. Stinson…"

"Ms. Scurelle, please repeat what you said again. I don't think I heard you correctly." Dakota's voice was flat and unemotional, which made it even more unsettling. "It sounded like you said Pan and the transfer lion got into a fight. But that can't be possible, _right_?" Valerie wondered if she could somehow be punished if she threw the walkie talkie into the pond, quit her job, and raced home. After a few seconds of thought, she dropped the idea.

"Yes, sir…"

"Please explain to me why they were let out together in the first place."

"Well, Pan kind of...busted his door down…"

"That's not an exc-... Wait, what…?" Confusion broke through the flat tone of his voice.

"Pan broke his door down." Valerie said again. A silence followed, only interrupted by the same woman as she slowly ate her popcorn.

"I'm coming down there." Dakota said before signing out. Valerie sighed and put her walkie talkie back on her hip. She glanced back at the woman who was _still_ watching her.

"Wow, breakfast and a show." She said, eating another handful of popcorn before walking off to find another exhibit. _I'm glad my occupational struggles gave you a humorous start to your day._ Valerie scowled at her as she walked away. She quickly made her way to the maintenance path behind the big cat enclosure. She walked into Pan's indoor pen to find Samantha already inside. She was busy tapping her foot and ruffling her hair.

"Well, it could've been worse." She glanced at Valerie. Pan was busy licking his shoulders clean, getting rid of all the adrenaline from the scuffle.

"I think it might get worse actually. Dakota's on his way down." Valerie told her.

"You called him? Do you want him to murder us? Or fire us? Or fire us _then_ murder us?"

"He had one of the walkie talkies, and he was bound to find out anyway. Better sooner than later. And he can't blame us, there wasn't much we could do." She reminded her with a sigh. "How is he?"

"Pan's fine. Some fur flew, but he's alright. Neema is alright too, just a little shaken. She's probably just unsettled by being let out with a totally new cat. Remember what happened last time she was let out with a cat she'd never met before?" Samantha said, sitting back on a creaky plastic chair. Valerie _did_ remember. When Neema was still a young cub, one of the newer staff members had let her out while El Diablo was still outside of his indoor pen. The old jaguar had attacked her ferociously, shredding her ears and biting off almost half off her tail. Dakota had exploded and swore that staff member would never find a career with animals again. Valerie wasn't sure if he had backed up his threat, but she'd be more surprised if he hadn't.

She was brought back from her thoughts by the door to the indoor pen opening. Dakota stepped inside and quickly made his way over to the fence. He saw the metal door missing and sighed, rubbing his temples. "Pan…"

The liger stopped his cleaning and perked his ears. In a flash he had reared up on the fence, purring and groaning as he rubbed up against the barrier. "Settle down you big dummy." Dakota said as he scratched the big cat's head with a finger. Valerie was quite shocked. Pan had never been so exuberant when he greeted her or Samantha in the mornings. And she'd never seen him move that fast while doing much of anything (well, except maybe when it was time for breakfast or dinner).

"I guess he's been missing you." Samantha chuckled. She shut her mouth when Dakota looked over his shoulder but didn't do a good job of hiding her smile. "He busted the door down when he must've sensed Neem felt scared. Ran straight at the new lion. Wasn't much of a fight though, which is a good thing. But I thought it was very brave of you, Pan."

"We're going to have to make some sort of arrangement. We can't fix the door while Pan has free reign, and he's too sensitive to the anesthetic drug to just move him somewhere else." Dakota ran a hand through his hair. "We might need to ship that lion off to another facility, we can't keep him locked up indoors until it's time for him to leave."

Valerie thought for a moment. "I have an idea that might work." She said. "When I brought my dog to my brother's house to meet his, his dog attacked mine. When we thought why two dogs that hadn't been aggressive to any other dogs before would suddenly fight, we realized that his dog was simply trying to protect her toys from being stolen. When we put away all the toys, the dogs had nothing to protect, and the greeting was much less strained. Maybe we can do something like that with Pan and the other lion?

"So...you think we should put up all of Pan's toys…?" Samantha asked, trying not to sound as if she thought Valerie's plan didn't make sense. She wasn't trying very well.

"I think I understand." Dakota said. "The toys triggered the dog's protective instinct, resulting in an aggressive response. So if we remove whatever triggers Pan from the interaction,"

"That trigger being Neema," Valerie pointed out.

"Then Pan will be less likely to use aggression to protect what he deems his." Dakota paused for a bit, and then nodded his head. "That might work Scurelle." Samantha had finally understood and nodded along as well.

"I'll be at the ready with the hose again as Pan and the lion try and sort things out. Let's try two days from now to let things cool down. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Dakota said, "I'm going to visit Neema before I go back to my office. I haven't been down to see these guys in a while." He opened the door to leave.

"Wait, shouldn't we name the new lion?" Samantha asked. "I mean, saying "new lion" over and over again is kinda tedious."

"No," He said, looking over his shoulder at Pan. The liger was looking at him longingly, the same way Valerie's dog stared at her when she left for work. "Once you name them, you always get too attached." Dakota closed the door behind him.

* * *

 ***says he'll use the summer to get more chapters out*...*doesn't publish a new chapter until the last full month of summer*... Oops. Well, I was going to work on this earlier but I saw that the Lion Guard was going to have an episode surrounding Scar and I wanted to wait and see if it would have any aspects I could use in my story. It didn't... Turns out the Scar "episode" was just a set up for Scar being the main antagonist for the second season. :\ And I know some don't enjoy the Lion Guard, and I can understand why. It can totally screw up the timeline (like why does Zira call the termite mounds she lived in at the beginning of TLK2 her "new" home?) and have very hypocritical themes (some thieving baboons run into the Outlands, steal Janja's food, and then when Janja wants them to pay for it the Lion Guard stops him?) as well as some annoying catchphrases (KION YOUR DAD IS ABOUT TO BE EATEN BY CROCS THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOU TO YELL " _HEVI KABISA_ "!) but it does offer some expansion of the TLK universe. Also, for those who don't know the live action remake of The Lion King is coming in July of 2019! Also, remember that character I was so excited for that I mentioned in last chapters author's notes? Eheh...yeah, I just realized how far away the chapter that will be introducing him will be. Probably somewhere in the teens... So, just hang in with me!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

Kovu paced relentlessly inside the small cave. His head was pounding from trying to bust through the door like that idiot Pan had. He failed. His claws ached from trying to dig under the shiny flap. He failed there too. And he was pretty sure his gums were bleeding from trying to gnaw through the spider silk. He also failed at that. Kovu growled from frustration and fatigue. He threw himself against the flap once more, but it didn't budge. _How could that pudgy termite brained idiot bust down his flap and not me?_ Kovu's growling turned into heavy breathing as his energy faded.

 _No,_ He thought, _Kovu you can't give up. You can't rest. You need to escape. Kiara needs you to escape._ He charged the flap again, but this time he couldn't even muster enough strength to hit it full force this time. _Kiara…_ Kovu lowered himself down to the ground, trying to catch his breath. He gave a deep sigh, wondering if he'd ever see her again. _I wonder what she's doing right now_ …

* * *

Kiara had made her way to the front of the hartebeest herd. She nestled herself down in the grass, waiting for the signal to spook the herd in the direction of the other lionesses who were circling the herd from the rear. The large herbivores were too busy grazing and chewing their cud to spot the golden and tawny forms slinking around them. She glanced to the east, looking at the horizon. It had been four days since Kovu and Rafiki had left on their trip to Grass Walls and she'd been anxiously waiting on the border of the Pridelands for Kovu to return.

Nala had suggested she do something more productive to pass the time, and so Kiara had decided to join the day's hunting party. Kiara narrowed her eyes as she saw a shape on the horizon. Her heart sped up in excitement. Was Kovu back already?! But she soon realized it was just a small tree. She let out a small disappointed sigh and rested her head on her paws. She pricked her ears as a cuckoo bird called out to the evening sky. It sounded a bit weird to her, like it had a sore throat or something.

Kiara scanned the horizon again, just in case. The cuckoo called again, this time much louder and more urgent. Kiara had to clamp her teeth together to keep from growling in annoyance. The bird was going to break her concentration. She'd have to listen even harder now to not miss Vitani's signal.

 _The signal!_ Kiara's mind kicked into action. The cuckoo call _was_ Vitani's signal! How could she forget? But before she could pounce and startle the herd, a frenzied bleating came from the rear. The lionesses must've decided to make their move without her! The whole herd was on the move now, and they were coming right for her. Kiara quickly darted out of their path, she knew very well how dangerous it was to be caught in the middle of a panicked herd.

She loped a good distance away and looked back to see if the rest of the hunting party had brought down their target. They had been going after an old female hartebeest, but she had slipped into the ranks of the herd before the lionesses could even get close enough. She watched them slow down and lash their tails as their meal galloped away. Her mother spotted her and came running towards her.

"Kiara! Are you alright?" Nala asked her, walking around her and looking her over. "We thought you weren't in position when the herd didn't run at us. We thought maybe you'd decided to go around the side. We never would've drove the whole herd towards you if we knew you were right up front. What happened?"

Kiara shifted away from her, not wanting to be looked over like a cub in front of the other lionesses. "I… I got distracted… I'm sorry." She looked back at the others as they came up to them. Vitani definitely wasn't happy, she had been excited to use her plan to help in hunting. _And I screwed it all up…_ "Vitani, I'm sorry. Your plan would've worked if it wasn't for me. I'm sorry I messed the hunt up for all of you." The other lionesses nodded their heads in understanding.

"Alright. The herds around here will be on high alert for the rest of the day. We'll go to the other end of the territory and try again. Kiara," Nala gave her a little nudge with her head, "Take a small break down by the watering hole to clear your mind." She gave her a small smile before leading the rest of the hunting party to the other end of the Pridelands. Only Vitani stayed behind with her.

"You were thinking about Kovu, weren't you?" Vitani asked, sitting down next to her. Her voice didn't have any anger, but that didn't make Kiara feel much better. "You wouldn't have messed up that hunt any other time."

"Yeah…" Kiara sighed and sank down to the ground. "I just miss him a lot. It's-...you probably wouldn't understand."

"I guess I wouldn't know what missing him feels like. It's not like he's my last living blood relative or anything." Vitani said, adding a slight edge to her voice. Kiara felt a wave of embarrassment flood through her. That had _obviously_ been the wrong thing to say to her. She stayed quiet for a while, the silence only broken by the rustling grass.

"I didn't mean it like that, Vitani." She said at last. "I just-."

"I know what you meant. I miss him almost as much as you do. But I know he'll be coming up over the horizon any moment now. He's Kovu, he can do pretty much anything. Not as good as me, though." Vitani gave her a friendly nudge. Kiara smiled and got up.

"Want to go down to the watering hole with me?" Kiara asked.

"Sure, my throat hurts from practicing all those bird calls. Let's go." She ran off in the direction of the watering hole. Kiara ran after her, feeling much better. She glanced at the horizon. Vitani was right. Kovu would be coming back soon, he might even be on his way back now. And Kiara knew she'd be there waiting for him.

* * *

 **So, ten chapters complete! That's actually a record for me...heheh... I forgot to add this in my last author's notes (again...) but Erin Hunter, the author(s), of Warrior Cats (and some other series most people treat like red headed stepchildren) released the first book of their new series Bravelands. It surrounds 3 main characters; Fearless the lion, Thorn the baboon, and Sky the elephant. Book 1 was pretty alright, although the conflict kind of just happens in the first chapter and they expect you to understand all the universe's lore right off the bat. Plus there are some scenes that make me question the knowledge of the authors (like calling a group of hyenas a pack instead of a clan, and having a full grown male lion being killed by 3 cheetahs?) plus when one of the main characters finds out who killed who, the culprit makes NO sense. I'm just hoping it was a red herring and the animal who took the blame at the end is just trying to protect the real culprit. Anyways, I'm gonna work on the outlined chapters before I start working on the final draft chapters, so another small break (like maybe the end of August/beginning of September) is going to occur before more chapters will come out.**


	11. Chapter 11

Kovu wrinkled his snout at the offering laid at his paws. Another lump of cold meat offered by the same furless, repulsive primate. He glowered at her from where he was sprawled on the floor as she pushed another lump of meat through the openings of the silver webbing. But she apparently didn't get the message, as she returned his glare with an honest smile. _Easy for you to be happy… You're on the other side of the barrier._ He still wasn't entirely sure why these primates had done what they'd done, hunting him down and throwing him in this awful situation. And he wasn't entirely sure why they'd ended up choosing him out of all the other lions in the entirety of the Serengeti. He sighed through his nose, directing his eyes back down to the floor.

Kovu was drawn from his thinking by the voice of the primate. Her eyes were now sad and worried, and she passed her hand anxiously through her straw colored hair. She grabbed another chunk of meat in one hand, the hand which was covered in some sort of blue skin she had pulled over it, and once again pushed it through the fence. Kovu hadn't eaten since he had been captured, and he was sure that had been several days ago. His need for hunger was almost non-existent, focusing on escaping and staying on edge around the primates seemed so much more important than food.

 _But if you don't eat, you'll definitely die… And you can't escape and get back home if you're dead._ Kovu mulled over that fact, wondering if it were better to starve himself rather than live long enough to see what these primates had in store for him. _That's the internal despair talking. Get up and eat, you idiot!_ Kovu raised his head up sharply in annoyance, mostly annoyed at the fact he had no one to be irritated at since he had only been insulted by himself. Finally, he rose up and took a chunk of meat into his jaws.

It was fatty and tasteless, nothing like the warm and flavorful prey of the Pridelands. But as he swallowed, he felt his stomach waking up and pressing him to eat more. Moving on to the next piece, he glanced at the primate as her smile returned. She had obviously been worrying about him not eating, which he found odd. If she were worried about his well being, why hold him hostage?

"Why am I here?" Kovu asked. The primate's response was reminiscent of a small laugh. Not the response he wanted. "Can you understand me?" She passed him another piece of food in response. Kovu sighed and ate it anyway. Captured by animals he'd never seen before, who couldn't understand him, and who couldn't speak back in his language. He swallowed the last morsel and sat on his haunches, the food clearing his mind somewhat. _She wants me alive, obviously. For reasons I'm unsure of. And from what I saw the other day in the area beyond this cave, there's plenty more of her kind._ Kovu paused for a moment as she continued to smile at him. _These creatures are unpredictable, I need to stay on edge. No more self pity. If I'm getting out, I need to use everything that I know._

His first thought was to judge if he could attack her somehow. He sized her up nonchalantly as he groomed himself. She would most likely be an easy adversary to overpower, but the impenetrable barrier between them would make getting ahold of her impossible. Not only that, but Kovu didn't necessarily enjoy the thought of fighting her. If she was so worried about getting him to eat, maybe acting aggressive towards her wasn't in his best interest. Something Simba had once said to him flitted through his mind.

Something about negotiating before starting a fight, how a ruler should use… What was the word? Diplomacy? Kovu drew his tongue over his teeth, thinking for a moment. He turned his attention towards the silver flap, remarkably undamaged despite his attempts to power through it. _She can't understand my words, but maybe she'll get the general idea._ He got up and stood in front of the flap, turning his eyes to match the primate's. He lightly grazed his claws over the rough material, creating a sound reminiscent of a cobra's scales rubbing together.

The primate placed her hands on her hips and said something in her odd chittering language, again with the same unbearably goofy smile. Kovu quelled a frustrated growl and repeated his light scratching. The primate then put a hand under her chin for a moment, studying him. Kovu sat calmly, hoping his more controlled behavior would allow her to at least let him out of the cave. She had watched his savage attempts of escape from a wooden little seat, unmoved by his frenzied clawing and biting. But he hoped she'd be willing to negotiate now that his anger had subsided.

She stood there with her fingers stroking her chin for a few moments, before walking out of sight. Kovu's tail flicked in anticipation as he heard the buzzing noise that signyfied the flap would rise. _Thanks for that lesson, Simba._ Kovu turned to look over his shoulder at the primate, and found her wagging a finger sternly in his direction. The resemblance to Rafiki was a little unsettling in his opinion. He squinted as the brightness blinded him, the sun seeming unnaturally bright after spending time inside the cave's dimmer atmosphere.

He looked around the area, which seemed incredibly small after a life of unending vastness within the Outlands and Pridelands. No, it seemed incredibly small to him, period. The female primate with the brown head fur that had sprayed him with the water was there, on the other side of the silky barrier. He scanned the area for signs of Pan or the female lion-thing, but he couldn't see either of them. He took a few steps towards the small pond, but swiftly dropped into a crouch as something large moved under the surface of the water. The broad head of Pan breached the surface, his fur soaking wet and glistening. His back was to Kovu, and he didn't seem particularly aware of his surroundings. Kovu's claws shot out and his body tensed up. _Attack him. Drown him._

Kovu forced himself to let the rigidness leave his body and sheathed his claws. _No, talk to him._ He shook himself, a bit unnerved how quickly his Outlander thinking had clouded his brain again. Even though Pan had attacked him, Kovu certainly didn't see him as a threat after witnessing his fighting skills. _You got off to a rough start, maybe he is understanding._ He stood tall, and walked towards the pond purposefully.

"Hello." Kovu spoke, hoping not to alarm him. Pan spun around in the water, his expression surprised for a moment. But as he recognized him, Kovu was just as surprised to see Pan's expression turn to unconcerned recognition.

"Oh, hey." Pan said in a warm and deep voice, continuing to slowly churn his legs to stay afloat. "How's it going?" He asked. Kovu eyed him skeptically. Was he really this carefree about talking to someone who had knocked him upside the head only a day or two earlier. He swiveled his ears around, wondering if this was distraction for a sneak attack. But he had to remind himself how unlikely that was, seeing as how the area was devoid of good hiding spots.

"I'm fine, I guess." Kovu said, not sure how to proceed with the conversation. His vision of it had a lot more glaring, and growling, and sarcasm. Pan shook his head again, his small mane fluffing up as it began to dry. Kovu awkwardly cleared his throat, "So… You're Pan?"

Pan gave a nod before he lowered his head below the water and began to blow small bubbles from his nose. Kovu looked up at the cave he guessed Pan resided in, the panel still broken off and laying in the grass a ways away. Kovu snorted indignantly at himself, reminded once again that he'd had no luck busting open his panel.

"How'd you do that?" Kovu asked, his tone implying he demanded an answer. Pan stopped his bubble blowing and looked at him quizzically.

"Well, you see… I lower my head below the water...and blow air out of my nose like this-" Pan began.

"Not the bubbles!" Said Kovu, visibly annoyed. "The panel. That flap over there. How'd you break through it?"

"Oh…" Pan said thoughtfully. He looked at it as if thinking hard about his answer. "I… I dunno. When I thought Neema was in danger, it was easy I guess. Oh, and sorry about _that_."

Kovu was unsatisfied with that answer, but he could tell it was sincere. He softly growled in frustration and sat down. A breeze ran across him, and he shivered as he realized how cold it was. The Pridelands occasionally had chilly mornings and nights, but nothing as nippy as the air was now. With the sun high in the sky, and the time of year definitely being the Dry Season in the Pridelands, Kovu couldn't help but wonder how far they had taken him.

"Where am I?" Kovu asked Pan as the striped cat swam in circles, ignoring the cold.

"Well, I've never been asked that before." Pan paused, flicking droplets from his ears. He cocked his head a bit, seeming to mull over the answer. "I don't know. I just call it home."

"Well, it's not _my_ home. How do I leave?" Kovu said, eyeing the silver webbing. Maybe it was climbable with some determination…

"Leave? Um...you don't." Pan said, looking at him as if Kovu had grown a second head.

"What do you mean? I _have_ to leave. One of you has left, surely?"

"Not really. The only place I've been was the place I was born and the places I was taken on the way here, and I barely remember either of those places. The same for Neema too, probably. The only one that's left this place that I know of was old El Diablo." Pan told him. Kovu noticed the change of tone Pan had when he said the name. _El Diablo?_ The way Pan said it made it seem like he feared who ever that was. _He probably fought tooth and claw to get out of this place. Maybe he knew something I didn't._ Kovu imagined a mighty lion blasting through hordes of the primates to get to freedom.

"How'd he get out of here?" Kovu's hopes were rising.

"Oh, he died." Pan said flatly. Kovu wanted to scream or roar or tear something apart. _This is useless. The only way I'm getting out of here is by dying of old age?_ He began to pace back and forth furiously, his anger at the situation creeping back in. "Hey, it's not so bad. We get fed, and watered, and we play and swim all day and-"

"Play! Is that what this place has turned you into? Overgrown cubs?!" Kovu spat. "I am _not_ going to get fat and soft like you and spending the rest of my days swimming in a hole and chasing butterflies." His anger left with his words, seeing Pan's eyes change from welcoming to hurt. Kovu immediately thought how it must feel to be insulted by some stranger in his own home, but he couldn't take back his outburst. He paused for a moment, letting the fury leave him as he breathed out. "Listen, I'm not from here. I don't want to be here. I don't want to die here. I want to leave. I _need_ to leave."

Pan rose out of the water, his striped fur dripping with water. He shook himself, and Kovu restrained himself from jumping away from the cold droplets that sprayed him. "I don't know what to tell you, I guess. Nice to meet you." Pan made his way over to his cave. Kovu growled to himself as he watched Pan retreat. But his attention turned to the female's cave as buzzing sound rang through the air and her flap began to rise. She poked her striped face out and spotted Pan immediately.

"Morning, Pan!" She called.

"Morning. New guy's out with us again." Pan said, flicking his tail in Kovu's direction. Kovu watched as she froze for a second, and then began to seemingly force herself to walk in his direction. As she walked towards him, Kovu notice Pan pause at his cave's entrance before turning around and returning to where Kovu was as well. Kovu eyed her as she approached, noting the smile she wore was incredibly forced and it was impossible to ignore how her legs shook as she walk.

 _She's terrified of me._ Kovu thought. He realized the amount of courage it must've taken her to attempt to split up the fight Pan and him had engaged in. _No wonder, if these two have seen nothing but this little area that probably shook her up a bit._ He softened his gaze as she came closer, with Pan behind her as he provided silent reassurance.

"H-hi, my name's Neema. Uh, what's yours?" She asked, her fur bristling uncontrollably.

"It's Kovu." He decided to lie down, trying to make himself as non threateningly as possible. "I'm sorry about what happened the other day." Neema's eyes widened a bit, and her smile seemed at least a tad more sincere.

"No, don't be." Pan sat down beside Neema, awkwardly studying his paws. "I just overreacted. I should've listened to you when you told me to stop. I just couldn't stand to think about someone attacking you again." Kovu's ears perked up at that. He finally noticed the scratches on her ears, old and scarred over, but definitely permanent. As he looked her over he saw her oddly short tail, which twitched and flicked as if her body expected it to be of normal length. Had something bitten it off? What could possibly attack them in here?

"Again?" Kovu said under his breath, although Neema was able to hear him.

"Yeah, when I was much younger I was let out with El Diablo… I tried to be friendly and talk to him, but he attacked me before I could even say my name." Neema's short tail lashed, and Kovu guessed she was having quite a vivid memory. "He tore my ears and ended up biting off my tail before the no-claws could get him to retreat by using the water snake. Seeing you come out of the same den he used to live in just brought up some really bad memories."

Kovu swished his tail thoughtfully, thinking over Neema's story. Kovu was used to the heat of a fight, but if Neema hadn't seen much else besides this claustrophobic patch of grass...such an event must have really been a traumatic experience. _They'd never survive in the real world… But maybe they're deeper than what I'd expect from what they appear to be on the surface._ Kovu sat up and gave a small smile.

"Well, I think it was pretty brave the way you acted the other day. Even after all those memories came rushing back to you, you still tried to be confident." Kovu watched as Neema raised her head a little higher, a small smile appearing on her face. "And Pan, the way you tried to fight me to protect your friend was a really good move. Some animals would just try to save their own skins. And sorry about the fight, and what I said earlier." Now it was Pan's turn to let himself enjoy the praise.

"Well this is nice…" Neema's smile began to spread as she looked between Pan and Kovu. "Let's do some proper introductions, then. I'm Neema, and he's Pan. We've basically lived here since we were cubs."

"We were both born separately somewhere else, and came here and were raised by our no-claw father." Pan stretched out on his side, relaxing into the grass.

"What's a _no-claw_?" Kovu asked.

"They don't really have any claws like us... So we called them no-claws as cubs, and it just stuck." Pan explained. Pan nodded his head in the direction of the primates on the other side of the barrier. _Those things raised them…? That doesn't help with my confusion over what they want from me._

"We don't have any of those where I come from, at least from what I've seen. The first time I saw any of them was after I was captured." He watched as Neema and Pan traded looks of confusion.

"Captured from where? How could you never see a no-claw? Who fed you?" Pan asked.

"I was captured by some weird creature that I'm guessing was working with the no-claws. Then I woke up in that cave over there. And I fed myself, I hunted like any normal lion." Kovu said. Neema's tail began to lash feverishly as she cocked her head, seemingly to ponder something. Pan just seemed to look straight up dumbfounded. Kovu reminded himself that these weird striped lions had probably never caught anything but a frozen butterfly. "I guess you've never hunted for yourselves. Maybe I can teach you the basics."

Neema's eyes lit up and Pan looked up at him sceptically. Kovu looked around the small area again. _Maybe I can get the information I need from these guys while teaching them something useful._ Kovu stretched and flexed his claws. He hated to admit it, but teaching hunting skills would relax his nerves in this place. Was it really only several days ago that Kiara and him were practicing stalking and combat? He sunk down to the ground, his muscles ready to perform.

"First thing's first. The hunter's crouch…"

* * *

 **Oof. I said I'd be more active with this story back in the summer of 2017, but that was a lie... Eheh… Anyway, this story was never abandoned in my mind and I think about it regularly. I really will try and be more consistent this year. I've got a little story to tell, and I hope you all enjoy the chapters to come. :]**


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